Haluk Görgün Egypt Contacts: Visits, Meetings and the Ankara LOI

Haluk Görgün’s engagement with Egypt has developed through a series of contacts since 2023. These include a visit to Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production, talks at the World Defense Show in Riyadh and two high-level meetings in Ankara. The most significant outcome, a Letter of Intent on defence industry cooperation, was signed in Ankara on 13 July 2026, when Görgün hosted Egypt’s Defence and Military Production Minister. It was not signed during a trip to Cairo.

Who is Haluk Görgün and why Egypt matters

Haluk Görgün is President of Türkiye’s Defence Industry Agency (SSB). His contacts with Egyptian counterparts have moved forward step by step. Early exchanges on industrial capabilities and localisation have led to a signed document intended to frame future work. The track sits alongside wider Turkish–Egyptian industrial dialogue, including the naval discussions covered in our report on Türkiye eyeing joint MILGEM warship building with Egypt.

A common assumption is that the key agreement came out of a Görgün visit to Cairo. The record shows otherwise. The Letter of Intent was signed when the Egyptian minister travelled to Ankara.

Timeline: Görgün’s contacts with Egypt

From the 2023 visit to the Riyadh talks

According to Al-Wafd, Görgün visited Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production in the New Administrative Capital ahead of EDEX 2023. There he met Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Salah El-Din Mostafa, with Turkish Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen present. The two sides discussed cooperation, and the minister invited Turkish companies to take part in EDEX 2023. Görgün was quoted as saying that Türkiye’s foreign dependence in defence had fallen to 20%. He also said the number of Turkish defence companies had grown from 57 in 2002 to more than 2,500.

Separately, the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) reported that its chairman, Maj. Gen. Eng. Mokhtar Abdel Latif, held talks with Görgün and his delegation on manufacturing capabilities and localisation. The AOI text does not give a date for this meeting.

In February 2024, at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Görgün met Mostafa again. Yeni Akit, citing DefenceTurk, reported that joint ammunition production was among the subjects discussed.

Ankara meetings and the July 2026 Letter of Intent

On 6 May 2024, Görgün hosted Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Osama Askar at the SSB in Ankara, according to the SSB. The dialogue continued at EDEX 2025 on 2 December 2025. Cairo24 reported that Egypt’s military production minister met SSB Deputy President Gökhan Uçar, not Görgün, and that the two sides agreed to exchange specialist and technical delegations.

The main milestone came on 13 July 2026. Anadolu Agency reported that Görgün hosted Egyptian Defence and Military Production Minister Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher in Ankara. They discussed cooperation and “joint capability development” and signed a Letter of Intent “that will define the framework of our cooperation in the period ahead”. According to Savunma Sanayii Gazetesi, Görgün said the cooperation would contribute to regional security and to the development of both countries’ capacities.

• Document: Letter of Intent on defence industry cooperation
• Date and place: 13 July 2026, Ankara
• Signatories’ delegations: SSB, led by Haluk Görgün; Egypt’s Ministry of Defence and Military Production, led by Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher
• Stated purpose: to define the framework of cooperation in the period ahead
• Emphasis: joint capability development, regional security and mutual capacity building

For background on Egypt’s armed forces, see our Egypt military strength profile.

What is not known

Several details remain undisclosed.

• The text of the Letter of Intent has not been published.
• No list of specific projects, programmes or systems has been released.
• The reported discussion of joint ammunition production at the 2024 World Defense Show comes from media reporting. It has not been confirmed as an agreed project.
• The date of the AOI talks with Görgün’s delegation is not given in the AOI’s own account.

Until either side releases further detail, any claims about particular platforms or contract values linked to the Letter of Intent should be treated with caution.

FAQ

Where was the Türkiye–Egypt Letter of Intent signed?

It was signed in Ankara on 13 July 2026, when SSB President Haluk Görgün hosted Egypt’s Defence and Military Production Minister, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher. It was not signed during a visit to Cairo.

Did Haluk Görgün attend EDEX 2025?

According to Cairo24, the SSB was represented at the reported EDEX 2025 meeting on 2 December 2025 by Deputy President Gökhan Uçar, who met Egypt’s military production minister.

Which projects does the Letter of Intent cover?

None have been made public. The document is described only as defining the framework for future cooperation, with an emphasis on joint capability development.

Sources

• Al-Wafd — Görgün’s visit to Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production, 2023
• AOI — Talks with Turkish Defence Industry Agency delegation, undated
• Yeni Akit — Report on joint ammunition production talks, 6 February 2024
• SSB — Egyptian delegation hosted in Ankara, 6 May 2024
• Cairo24 — EDEX 2025 meeting with SSB Deputy President, 2 December 2025
• Anadolu Agency — Türkiye and Egypt sign Letter of Intent, 13 July 2026
• Savunma Sanayii Gazetesi — Görgün on regional security contribution, 13 July 2026

Featured image: Press Information Department via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Illustrative photo.