The Turkish Democracy Project (TDP) has called on Raytheon Technologies, an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate, to end its business relationship with the Turkish defense contractor and missile manufacturer Roketsan, whose armaments facilitate the Turkish government’s destabilizing regional aggression.
In Fall 2021, TDP initiated a campaign investigating international companies with links to the deeply corrupt and war-mongering Turkish government. Raytheon has extensive business ties to Roketsan, a defense manufacturer majority-owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, which is in turn closely controlled by President Erdogan.
Under Erdogan, Turkey’s defense manufacturing sector has become a malign force for regional destabilization, with Turkish lethal capabilities deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria, Libya and elsewhere, while also being used to stoke tensions with fellow NATO member Greece. Turkey’s recent forays into northern Syria have prompted concerns from the Pentagon that destabilization will allow ISIS to regroup.
Having identified grave ethical, legal and commercial risks in Raytheon’s ties to the Turkish defense manufacturing sector, TDP sent a letter to Raytheon’s President on August 12, 2022.
Commenting on Raytheon’s business ties to Roketsan, Turkish Democracy Project’s Executive Director, Madeleine Joelson, said:
“Raytheon must immediately sever ties with the Turkish military-industrial complex, including defense manufacturer Roketsan, which is intricately tied to a corrupt government and routinely used to spread violence throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. No responsible company should be in the business of supporting President Erdogan’s regional aggression.”
