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"It is an obligation for us to have a powerful military"

Presidency of The Republic of Turkey

18.03.2024

Speaking at an iftar with soldiers, President Erdoğan said: "If we want to live freely, honorably and peacefully on our own homeland watered with martyrs' blood, we have no other choice but to continue to foil games and frustrate treacherous aspirations. In this regard, it is an obligation, rather than a preference, for us to have a powerful military."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with soldiers during an iftar at the 4th Corps Command in Ankara.

Conveying his Ramadan Mubarak wishes to the participants, President Erdoğan expressed his happiness to be coming together with soldiers during this holy month.

Wishing success to soldiers, who carry out their duties at the cost of their lives for the state's permanence and the nation's security, President Erdoğan said: "May Allah help all our security forces, including soldiers, police, gendarmerie, village guards and intelligence personnel, and protect them against all kinds of accidents, troubles, attacks and treasons."

"We have sacrificed lives, shed blood, put up a fight and paid a heavy price since 1071 both to make these lands our home and defend our eternal homeland," the President stated, further stressing that they will continue to protect the country, adhan and flag with the same determination and perseverance in the future as well.

"WE SHOULD MAINTAIN A MAXIMUM LEVEL OF DETERRENCE"

Stressing that attacks against the country will never come to an end as long as Türkiye, the defender of the oppressed, continues to maintain its existence, adhere to its roots and stand with the downtrodden, President Erdoğan underlined: "If we want to live freely, honorably and peacefully on our own homeland watered with martyrs' blood, we have no other choice but to continue to foil games and frustrate treacherous aspirations. In this regard, it is an obligation, rather than a preference, for us to have a powerful military. We are a country, nation, an army that should always maintain a maximum level of deterrence. Only our own strength, only the means and capabilities that we ourselves develop can protect us, the Turkish nation, against our enemies."

"WE WORK FOR A FULLY-INDEPENDENT TÜRKİYE IN EVERY AREA"

President Erdoğan said: "We know from our bitter recent experiences that when we are on our own, neither the alliances we are a member of nor the international organizations whose duty is to protect the global peace are of any use. That is why we constantly say 'domestic and national defense industry' and work for a 'fully independent Türkiye in every area'."

Underscoring the importance of a strong military for a strong Türkiye, President Erdoğan described the nation's unity and solidarity as their biggest support, and stated that they spare no sacrifices in order for the Turkish military to fulfill its duty to defend the homeland in the best manner, and that they will continue to provide every sort of support for the success of the fight against bloodthirsty terrorist organizations.

Pointing out that Türkiye has already begun to see the positive outcomes of its "strategy of eliminating terror at its source", which it has been patiently executing for some time now, both at home and abroad, President Erdoğan stated: "Wherever there is a terrorist, we find and crush them with our UCAVs, homegrown ammunition and indigenous weapons. We will definitely not allow this herd of contract killers, which have been cornered and come to the brink of death and extinction because of our operations, to thrive again and cause troubles to our nation. We will not allow a 'terroristan' to be established across our southern borders, no matter whose project it is. We will have completely safeguarded the security of our Iraqi border as of this summer, and will definitely complete our unfinished work in Syria. Our aim is to leave our children a Türkiye which has been fully liberated from the dark shadow of terror and both the path and the future of which are bright. We see the establishment of a terror-free climate in our region as our debt not only to our martyrs but also to future generations."