ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday welcomed an agreement under which Spain will procure Turkish-made HURJET training aircraft, describing it as evidence of Turkey&#39;s &quot;pioneering role&quot; in defense and aviation industry.&nbsp;Under the deal, signed this week, the Spanish Air Force will acquire 30 HURJET aircraft from Turkey in a contract valued at around 2.6 billion euros, according to Turkish officials.&nbsp;Speaking at an event in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkiye had become a globally recognized player in the defense and aviation sectors.&nbsp;&quot;Most recently, the agreement we concluded with Spain has confirmed our country&#39;s pioneering role in this field,&quot; Erdogan said.&nbsp;He added that the inclusion of HURJET in the inventory of a European Union and NATO member state would further expand Turkey&#39;s opportunities in the coming years.&nbsp;On Tuesday, Haluk Gorgun, head of Turkiye&#39;s defense industry agency, described the agreement as more than a simple aircraft sale.&nbsp;&quot;This is not merely a training aircraft deal,&quot; Gorgun said. &quot;It is a comprehensive package that includes ground systems, simulation systems, maintenance and sustainment services, as well as a cooperation model.&quot;&nbsp;He added that the agreement underscored the deepening of defense industry and high-technology cooperation between Turkiye and Spain, noting that the aircraft configuration would be updated over time to meet Spain&#39;s specific operational requirements.&nbsp;Turkiye has steadily expanded its defense exports in recent years, including drones sold to multiple countries.&nbsp;Erdogan said Turkiye&#39;s defense exports, which stood at $248 million in 2002, had increased nearly 40-fold to reach $9.8 billion in 2025.

Asia

President Erdogan hailed a 2.6-billion-euro deal for Spain to buy 30 Turkish-made HURJET trainers as proof of Turkiye's rising defense stature, highlighting expanded NATO cooperation and soaring defense exports reaching $9.8 billion in 2025 figures.

Turkiye’s Erdogan hails €2.6B jet deal with Spain

NEW YORK: La Liga plans to make an international soccer match an annual event after announcing Barcelona and Villarreal will play outside Miami on December 20, Spanish league president Javier Tebas said during an interview with The Associated Press.&nbsp;Becoming the first major European league to move a competitive match abroad, La Liga is following the model of the NFL, which has played in London since 2007 and this season also has games in Berlin, Dublin, Madrid and Sao Paulo.&nbsp;&ldquo;The idea is to follow a similar model but with one difference: We will only play one match abroad,&rdquo; Tebas said of future schedules. &quot;So I strongly believe that what they are doing is something very positive for the competition. They are letting people all over the world to know the competition, to engage with the competition.&quot;&nbsp;The soccer match will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL&#39;s Miami Dolphins. La Liga intends to announce future international games with longer lead times. It usually releases its schedule around the start of July.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a strategy that will help to increase revenues in the mid- to long-term, because we will increase the value of our partners, our sponsors. We will increase the value of audiovisual rights with our broadcasters,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully we will increase the interest, the engagement of the audience in other countries as we are expecting to bring this one game every year to different countries around the world.&rdquo;&nbsp;Italy&#39;s Serie A is planning to move a Feb. 8 match between Milan and Como from San Siro to Perth, Australia, because the Italian stadium won&#39;t be available after hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics two days earlier.&nbsp;Tebas said the experience of playing in an NFL stadium with many food and beverage options and gathering areas could spark improvements in Spain. Real Madrid renovated Estadio Santiago Bernab&eacute;u and Osasuna revamped El Sadar.&nbsp; Construction is ongoing at Barcelona&#39;s Camp Nou, Betis&#39; Estadio Benito Villamar&iacute;n and Getafe&#39;s Estadio Coliseum, and Valencia has long-delayed plans for a Nou Mestalla.&nbsp;&ldquo;The objective is to increase the match day experience more than the two hours,&rdquo; Tebas said. &ldquo;The clubs are already working towards that objective.&rdquo;

Football

Spain’s La Liga will make its international match an annual event, starting with Barcelona vs Villarreal in Miami on December 20,2025.  League president Javier Tebas said the initiative aims to boost revenues, engagement, and global reach.


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Turkiye’s Erdogan hails €2.6B jet deal with Spain

Spain’s La Liga to stage its international match an annual event