Türkiye: Belgian queen visits Baykar tech center, with company officials highlighting cooperation, security ties.

SHOTLIST: ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE (MAY 10, 2026) 1. QUEEN MATHILDE ARRIVING / MEETING WITH OFFICIALS (TWO SHOTS) 2. VARIOUS OF QUEEN INSPECTING OZDEMIR BAYRAKTAR NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN ISTANBUL 3. VARIOUS OF QUEEN WALKING WITH SELCUK BAYRAKTAR / POSING TO CAMERA / WALKING AROUND 4. BAYKAR’S CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, SELCUK BAYRAKTAR, SPEAKING TO REPORTER (TURKISH)ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE - MAY 10, 2026: A delegation led by Belgian Queen Mathilde, visiting Türkiye as part of a Belgian economic mission, on Sunday toured Baykar’s Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul. Selcuk Bayraktar, Baykar’s chairman and chief technology officer, said he was pleased to host the delegation for discussions of potential cooperation opportunities. He said the visit could contribute to joint technology development efforts between countries and added that it holds importance for Europe’s security architecture. “Strong alliances and close ties are the only way to overcome trade wars and supply chain disruptions. Europe is Türkiye’s largest trade partner and also the region where we realize our biggest export potential,” he said. He added: "Baykar is the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle company. It holds 60% of the global export market on its own, and Türkiye accounts for 65% of it. The technology we have developed has made a global impact and attracts strong demand worldwide." Bayraktar also said there is growing global interest in security challenges, adding that “every nation is concerned with its own security.” Stressing the importance of cooperation for mid-sized and smaller states, Bayraktar said Türkiye approaches all friendly countries with a spirit of partnership and brotherhood. He underlined that the world is moving toward a more unstable environment and warned that competition between nations could deepen existing security crises. The delegation, headed by Queen Mathilde on an official visit to Türkiye, inspected the center’s R&D and production facilities of Baykar’s indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Mathilde and the delegation were hosted by Selcuk Bayraktar as well as Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar. At the end of the visit, Mathilde and the delegation posed for a commemorative photo in front of the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle). During the visit, Selcuk Bayraktar presented Mathilde with a model of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft. *Writing by Fatma Zehra Solmaz