Speaking at the "New Naval Systems Delivery Ceremony" in Tuzla, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wished the emergency response and diving training boats, new Underwater Assault Team (SAT) boats and speed patrol boats to be auspicious for the country and the Turkish Armed Forces.
Congratulating all from workers to engineers of all institutions and contracting companies that had a hand in providing the country with these systems, Erdoğan said, "Turkey moves forward on its path in defence industry in a determined manner. The distance we covered in defence industry has contributed to many strategic achievements we acquired recently inside and outside our borders. It is not possible for nations that cannot be strong and independent in the field of defence to look to their future with confidence. With the fulfilment of our national defence and security needs, technological independence has become more critical than ever in terms of creating deterrence in the international arena."
Noting that the defence industry was not a field that can endure stagnation, Erdoğan noted the following:
"We have to go further, to produce more advanced products. We consider every success we achieve as a stepping stone to the next. Each project accordingly run by the public and private defence industry organizations allows us to look to our future more confidently. Turkey is located in the core of a region, where the world’s hardest conflicts, political crises, disputes and tensions occur. In such critical geopolitics, we can survive only if we can be strong in every field. The years-long indifference towards the rights and laws of our country has been caused by our lack of sufficient political, economic and technological power. If we can implement our policies from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Aegean, the Black Sea to the Balkans, Caucasus and Africa today, it is derived from the level we have reached in political, economic and technological fields. Those who are uncomfortable with the influence and power of our country are striving to send Turkey back to its former quagmire of instability and to keep it there in particular. They use all kinds of military, political, economic, social turmoil, coup and trap methods with a dare that they no longer even need to hide".
Underlining that the nation had spoiled their games by always standing by the national will, democracy, law, independence and future, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"It is understood that those who are not satisfied with the lessons they have learned in the past now set their sights on 2023. I hope in 2023, our nation, with their vast wisdom, will respond to the fascists both inside and outside in a way they deserve."
President Erdoğan said, "Our goal is to build a defence industry development and production infrastructure that will not require outsourcing in any critical area. This also means turning our country into one of the world's leading defence industry exporters."
"Turkey has a single purpose that is to protect the legitimate rights of itself and its friends. Our greatest source of confidence in our struggle is the Turkish Armed Forces taking its place in the field equipped with superior equipment and systems," said Erdoğan and noted that they were pleased to receive the reward of their efforts aimed at saving the defence industry from foreign dependency, one by one, just like today.
President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“Our confidence in ourselves is caused by the fact that we have increased our country’s defence industry project stock from 62 to 700 and the project budget from 5.5 billion American dollars to over 60 billion American dollars. Although the rate of indigenousness and nationality exceeding 70 percent is important, we are still inadequate, considering the open and secret embargoes we are exposed to. Our aim is to build a defence industry development and production infrastructure that will not require outsourcing in any critical field. It also means turning our country into one of the world's leading defence industry exporters.”
“It is just the beginning that we have become a country that directs developments"
President Erdoğan said that it was promising that Turkey was currently represented by seven companies in the world's top 100 defence industry companies list, and noted the following:
“Thanks to the breakthroughs we have made so far, it is just the beginning that we have become a country that makes a game in its region, spoils a game and directs developments. Maritime is one of the fields in which we have had the highest number of projects and gained momentum as part of the defence industry. Our shipbuilding industry has exported 130 marine platforms to nine countries on three continents, and thus achieved exports amounting to 3 billion American dollars.”
“Turkey is among 10 countries in the world that are capable of designing and manufacturing its warships”
Stating that the submarine rescue vessel was an important project in its field, Erdoğan made the following remarks:
“Turkey is among 10 countries in the world that are capable of designing and producing its warships. In addition, many of our vessels in the inventory were equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and modernized in accordance with current conditions. We also integrated Atmaca, our national missile, into our vessels, and thus made substantial progress in the domesticision of critical weapons and sensors as well as platform production. With the completion of all these stages, our navy has further strengthened its stance, which gives confidence to the friend and fear to the enemy.”
“We will commission Ufuk, our test and training ship, at the end of this year”
Stating that today they have provided the Naval Forces with two emergency response and diving training boats and two new SAT boats and eight speed patrol boats, Erdoğan said the following:
“We immediately launched most of our boats, as soon as they were built and equipped. Indeed, these products, which will be a source of pride for us with their designs and all their capabilities in the sea, will receive substantial demands not only from our country but also from abroad. As is seen, we work, produce and struggle with the awareness that we do not have a single minute to lose. We are currently working on much bigger projects. We aim to implement five big projects to be provided for the first time for our navy in five years. We will commission Ufuk, our test and training ship at the end of this year. Next year, our multi-purpose amphibious assault ship will be commissioned in our Anatolian seas.”
Erdoğan congratulated the Naval Forces, other institutions, universities, private sectors and SMEs that take part in all projects carried out by the Presidency of Defence Industry and noted the following: “In the upcoming periods, we expect these institutions to create a strategy that will carry our military shipbuilding industry much further in terms of domestic design, construction and contribution. I believe that our institutions and private sector, in which we have witnessed many successes until today, will duly perform this duty as this well.”
