Erdoğan says Türkiye to lead search for peace, stability

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged to maintain Türkiye's regional influence and bolster its domestic defense industry during a New Year’s Eve address to soldiers.

The president’s remarks were delivered via loudspeaker to troops at a military command school in Ankara during a phone call with Defense Minister Yasar Güler late on Dec. 31.

“In line with our ‘peace at home, peace in the world’ policy, we are engaged in an intense struggle to ensure stability prevails in our region and beyond,” Erdoğan told the assembled forces.

The address, coming in the final hours of 2025, served as both a holiday greeting and a strategic roadmap. Erdoğan described Türkiye as a nation “located at the heart of three continents, with high strategic importance that the whole world has its eyes on.”

Central to the president's message was Türkiye’s endeavors in military self-sufficiency.

“While strengthening our internal front on one hand, we are taking game-changing steps in every field, particularly in the defense industry, on the other,” Erdoğan said.

“With our Altay tanks, Fırtına howitzers, Atak helicopters, armed and unarmed drones, missiles with continuously increasing range, air defense systems developed with our own capabilities, warships, submarines, unmanned naval vehicles, we are, thank God, making great strides in all areas of defense.”

Erdoğan characterized the current era as a “historic opportunity” to cement Türkiye's status as a global power.

“We will proudly hand over the new, strong and great Türkiye, with all its elements, to future generations as a blessed legacy,” he said, adding that the government would not allow “any terrorist organization to interfere with national goals."

“I also sincerely congratulate our veterans, who have paid the price for the survival of our homeland and the future and independence of our nation, and the families of our martyrs on the New Year.”

The message of regional leadership was echoed by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. In a separate New Year's statement, Fidan highlighted Türkiye's role as a "solution provider" in global flashpoints, including Gaza, Ukraine and the South Caucasus.

Fidan pledged that in 2026, Türkiye would continue “with the same determination to lead the search for peace, stability and prosperity, contribute to multilateral diplomacy and fulfill our humanitarian responsibilities.”

“We worked tirelessly to protect our national interests, defend our just causes and make Türkiye's weight felt,” Fidan said.