In his remarks Erdo?an wished good luck to the ship - that can undertake ground bombing, that is equipped with above water, underwater and air defence systems and that has the features to respond to terrorist attacks - and stated that national defence can only take place with a national industry. In addition, Erdo?an in his speech said: “For the bright tomorrows of Turkey’s future, we will continue to sweat blood and gain achievements with all our might. Everyone should be aware that the Turkish flag will continue to be the symbol of peace on the seas and on the oceans. Turkey is now among 10 countries in the world that can realize the design and construction of warships.”

Prime Minister Erdo?an drew attention to the fact that between 2004-2010 Turkey dropped from 6th to 14th place among the countries that imported the most military equipment in the world and that during the same period Turkey rose from 27th to 21st place in exports of military equipment. Erdo?an announced that: “We did not produce it just for ourselves, we also increased our sales abroad. Turkey will be the third country that produces unmanned aerial vehicles. We now have completed all the software and design of the ATAK helicopters. In this process Turkey has become the center for F-16 modernization. God willing we will accomplish more.”

Stating that they were determined to take the necessary precautions to defend Turkey’s rights of natural resources on the seas, Erdo?an said the following: “We immediately took the necessary measures against the petroleum and natural gas exploration activities taken up by the South Cyprus Greek Administration in the Eastern Mediterranean. Subsequent to the agreement with the TRNC in New York, we sent the Piri Reis ship to the region to conduct exploration activities. In the future as well, whatever our national interests require we will continue to carry out them out without any hesitation. We will assess peace opportunities to the very end, protect the laws of our country to the very end. From henceforth we will expand even further the opportunities that we possess and in particular accelerate our activities to further strengthen our defence industry and continue to focus on our 2023 targets.”