The executives of Turkish drone manufacturer, Baykar Technologies, have been awarded national honours in Mali for their contributions and services to the West African country.
The four-member delegation, led by chairman of the board Selcuk Bayraktar and chief executive Haluk Bayraktar, received the honours on Wednesday.
The honours are the the country's highest decoration and were presented at the presidential palace in an event witnessed by Malian Defense Minister Colonel Sadio Camara.
The Baykar delegation also met with Malian transitional President Colonel Assimi Goïta.
"We were honoured to be deemed worthy of this meaningful engagement in order to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between Türkiye and Mali," Haluk Bayraktar said in a post.
The Mali National Order has been awarded to foreign heads of state as a sign of friendship, as well as to those who have contributed to the development of the country.
Last year, Mali and Türkiye signed a cooperation agreement in the field of defence and security.
Bayraktar is synonymous with Turkish military prowess around the world, with exports making up over 80% of its revenue.
In April, the chief executive officer of Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar was awarded a state medal in neighbouring Burkina Faso, where the company's Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been exported.
Haluk Bayraktar received the Ordre de L'etalon Officier medal, the country's highest national honour, by the order of Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traore for his outstanding and exceptional contributions to the West African nation’s peace, security and counter-terrorism activities.
Türkiye has also sold drones to three other African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, and Ethiopia. And Niger has expressed interest in acquiring the TB2 Bayraktar drones.
