ANKARA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here Wednesday that restrictions on defense cooperation among NATO member states, particularly in the defense industry, "must be lifted" if the alliance is to meet its capability targets.
Speaking at the ongoing NATO summit, Erdogan referred to the arms export restrictions that some of Türkiye's NATO allies have imposed on the country over the years.
His remarks came as NATO seeks to rebuild military stockpiles and expand defense production under mounting U.S. pressure to raise member states' defense spending targets from the long-standing 2 percent of gross domestic product to 5 percent.
Over the years, Türkiye has faced defense export restrictions or suspensions from several Western allies, including Canada, Germany, Sweden, Finland and France, as well as U.S. sanctions and export restrictions following its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
Ankara has consistently argued that such restrictions undermine defense cooperation among allies and hamper the development of its domestic defense industry. ■