Online event to discuss Turkey's drone program

LONDON

As high-profile successes for Turkish drones attract buyers worldwide, including in Europe, a webinar this week organized by a UK-based NGO will discuss Turkey’s calculations and ambitions for its high-tech drone program.

Notable experts and academics will attend the online event this Friday, organized by the Circle Foundation in partnership with Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

The webinar, titled Turkey’s Drones: Assessing Capability, Goals and Implications, will be moderated by Ziya Meral, senior associate fellow at RUSI, and will feature several prominent experts.

Experts at the webinar will include Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Turkish drone-maker Baykar; Ash Rossiter, associate fellow at RUSI; Ulrike Franke, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR); and Can Kasapoglu, director of the Security and Defense Research Program at EDAM, an Istanbul-based think tank.

“The webinar will discuss Turkey’s calculations and ambitions for its drone program, as well as implications for the region and for the proliferation and usage of drones in conflict zones,” said a statement by the Circle Foundation.

“Turkey’s drones have attracted great attention and large interests from many countries, and are currently being used by several other countries, including Ukraine, Qatar, and Azerbaijan,” it added.

“Poland is the latest country to acquire the Bayraktar drones, following Turkey’s successful use of its drones over the years in cross-border and anti-terror military operations.”

The Circle Foundation is a non-profit London-based NGO aiming to create opportunities for the Turkish diaspora, and RUSI is a prominent security and defense think tank.

The webinar will start at 2 p.m. (1300GMT).