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Queen Mathilde of Belgium toured Baykar's Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul on Saturday as part of a wide-ranging Belgian Economic Mission to Türkiye, the first such visit in 14 years, bringing together senior government officials and more than 400 business representatives from approximately 200 Belgian companies.
The delegation, which arrived at Istanbul Airport at noon, included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot, Defense Minister and trade portfolio holder Theo Francken, Brussels Capital Region Prime Minister Boris Dillies, Flemish Region Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele, and Walloon Region Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet, along with diplomatic representatives, academics, private sector figures and Belgian journalists.
The queen was received at the airport by Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas. She had earlier met with Emine Erdogan, spouse of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at Dolmabahce Palace, where the two visited an exhibition titled "Centennial Elegance," organized by the Olgunlasma Institute and centered on Turkish cultural heritage.
At the technology center, Queen Mathilde received a detailed briefing on Baykar's research, development and production activities and inspected the company's domestically developed unmanned aerial vehicle platforms.
She was accompanied by Baykar Chairman and Technology Leader Selcuk Bayraktar, Chief Executive Haluk Bayraktar, Minister Goktas, and Presidency of Defense Industries Chairman Prof. Dr. Haluk Gorgun.
The visit concluded with a commemorative photograph in front of the Bayraktar AKINCI combat drone. Selcuk Bayraktar presented the queen with a scale model of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned aircraft as a memento of the occasion.
Baykar, founded by the Bayraktar family, rose to global prominence in part through the battlefield performance of its Bayraktar TB2 drone in conflicts including Ukraine and Libya.
Selcuk Bayraktar said the visit was a welcome opportunity to discuss avenues for cooperation and described the initiative as significant for shared efforts in European security architecture.
Baykar, he said, holds 60 percent of the global drone export market on its own, while Türkiye as a whole accounts for 65 percent. "The technology we have developed has left its mark on the world," he said.
Bayraktar warned that geopolitical rivalry posed serious risks, saying that "if nations compete with one another, this will only deepen the existing security crisis."
He added that overcoming trade conflicts and supply chain disruptions worldwide required building strong alliances and close ties, noting that Europe is Türkiye's largest trading partner and its primary export destination.
He described cooperation as especially critical for mid-sized and smaller nations, and framed Türkiye's approach to partner countries as one rooted in friendship and solidarity.
The economic dimension of the mission is substantial. Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Belgium exceeded 9.2 billion dollars last year, with Belgian investment in Türkiye approaching 5 billion dollars.
Turkish companies, in turn, have expanded their presence in Belgium across sectors including logistics, energy, petrochemicals, healthcare and construction.
Trade Minister Omer Bolat is scheduled to hold bilateral and delegation-level meetings with his Belgian counterparts, covering trade, investment, defense industries, logistics, energy, digital transformation, green economy, health technologies, information and communications technology, e-commerce and global supply chains.
A Türkiye-Belgium Business Forum is planned, alongside investment-focused sessions, sector-specific working meetings and business-to-business contacts. The forum will highlight Türkiye's manufacturing capacity, industrial infrastructure, logistical advantages and strategic geographic position.
The Belgian Economic Mission is a twice-yearly diplomatic and commercial initiative that Belgian governments use as a flagship tool of economic diplomacy. The last such mission to Türkiye took place in 2012, when Crown Prince Philippe, now king, led the delegation, and Mathilde, then princess, accompanied him.
Following the Baykar visit, Queen Mathilde and her delegation toured the Ortakoy neighborhood on the Bosphorus, drawing the attention of local residents and tourists. The historic district, known for its mosque set against the backdrop of the Bosphorus Bridge, is among Istanbul's most recognized landmarks.
The mission is expected to run through May 14, with the visits framed as an effort to elevate bilateral ties to a more strategic, integrated and sustainable footing.
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