The key facts

  • Saida Mirziyoyeva visited the Baykar complex and familiarized herself with defense industry projects
  • She stated that there are opportunities for exchanging experience and joint projects between specialists of the two countries
  • Earlier in Istanbul, together with Bilal Erdogan, she visited Ibn Haldun University and the Yenidogu school

Visit to the Baykar complex

Head of the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva, during her visit to Turkey, visited the Baykar company complex, as she reported on her Telegram channel. According to the publications, she familiarized herself with high technologies, including advanced projects in the defense industry. Daryo.uz and Spot.uz describe Baykar as one of the world's leading drone developers.

Mirziyoyeva's statements

“Behind these achievements stand years of research, the work of talented engineers, and investments in our own technologies. Turkey's experience in this field is also of interest to Uzbekistan,” Mirziyoyeva wrote. She also noted that there are opportunities for exchanging experience between specialists of the two countries and jointly implementing technological projects.

About the company

According to UzNews.uz, Baykar is a Turkish technology company specializing, among other things, in the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles. It was founded in 1984 by the Bayraktar family; its best-known developments are the Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Akinci strike drones, as well as the jet-powered UAV Bayraktar Kizilelma.

Educational part of the trip

At the beginning of the trip, Mirziyoyeva, together with Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan, visited Ibn Haldun University and the Yenidogu school in Istanbul. According to her, the goal was to familiarize herself with educational approaches: “Here attention is paid to the quality of knowledge, the development of young people's abilities, and the formation of independent thinking.” The parties agreed to expand cooperation between educational institutions of the two countries, exchange experience, and create new opportunities for schoolchildren, students, and teachers. “Education is an important direction of the friendly relations between Uzbekistan and Turkey,” the head of the Presidential Administration noted.

Context

Spot.uz recalls that in November 2023 the first official report appeared about the presence in Uzbekistan's arsenal of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 reconnaissance-strike UAV produced by Baykar: Shavkat Mirziyoyev familiarized himself with it during a visit to a military unit in the Surkhandarya region. Spot also previously reported on Saida Mirziyoyeva's meeting with Donald Trump and on her call for businesses to invest in New Tashkent.