Türkiye transitions into game setter in the region: Erdoğan

ANKARA

Türkiye is no longer a passive actor in powerful countries’ scenarios but has transitioned into a game setter in its wider region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, vowing they will further strengthen the country’s security by cementing the internal front through the terror-free Türkiye project.

Erdoğan delivered a statement on the opening of the National Security Conferences launched by the National Security Council (MGK) on June 9 in the Turkish capital.

“Türkiye has demonstrated to its foes and friends that it is no longer a country assigned a certain role in others’ scenarios but has transitioned into a game-setter in its region which is able to write its own story and future,” Erdoğan said.

The ongoing terror-free Türkiye project that aims to dissolve and disarm the PKK plays an important role in enforcing Türkiye’s security, Erdoğan said, vowing to accomplish the process.

Türkiye’s increasing self-confidence, courage, planning and ability to act independently are behind its implementation of the terror-free Türkiye project and its recent activities extending from the Gulf Region to North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, the president stressed.

“The terror-free Türkiye process is more than just a security policy; it is the name of a strategic state vision for our country’s new century,” Erdoğan said, recalling the process will open new opportunities for the future of Türkiye and the Turkish people.

He also recalled that Türkiye secured its southern borders through cross-border operations in the last decade, demonstrating its resolve in keeping the territorial integrity and the safety of the people.

Erdoğan also spoke about new generation threats stemming from the rapid advances in technology and communication.

“Today, wars are waged simultaneously on the battlefield, in cyberspace, via satellite systems, and on social media platforms. The line between the front and the rear is blurring, and the distinction between civilian and military spheres is weakening day by day,” he said.

This fact has been observed during the war between Russia and Ukraine and in the regional conflicts that have been enduring in the past three years, Erdoğan suggested.

“Unmanned aerial vehicles and armed drones, unmanned naval vehicles, electronic warfare capabilities, and ballistic and hypersonic capabilities have played an efficient role more than ever before,” he said.