President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on March 19 that Ankara continues to take firm measures against airspace violations and to strengthen national security.
“With the awareness that we bear the responsibility of 86 million people, we never abandon caution and prudence. While taking a very firm stance against actions that violate our airspace, we also continue to take steps to strengthen the peace and security of our nation,” Erdoğan said.
Since March 4, NATO air-defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean have intercepted three missiles launched from Iran toward Türkiye.
The president made the remarks in a video message greeting Turkish citizens on Eid al-Fitr, the festival that follows the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
He expressed his wishes for the Eid to bring goodness, blessings, and beauty to the country, the Islamic world and all humanity, and also mentioned the situation in the Middle East.
“Our brothers and sisters in Gaza are trying to observe Ramadan Bayram under Israel’s attacks, which violate ceasefire rules and block humanitarian aid. In various parts of Palestine — especially East Jerusalem and the West Bank — as well as in southern Lebanon, policies of occupation and destruction continue at full intensity,” he said.
The president said attacks launched against Iran on Feb. 28, along with Iran’s missile and drone retaliations toward third countries, have further escalated regional tensions.
“In the face of this troubling picture, with the awareness that we bear the responsibility of 86 million people, we never abandon caution and prudence,” Erdoğan said, adding that Türkiye continues to take firm measures against airspace violations and to strengthen national security.
Referring to his government's “terror-free Türkiye” initiative launched 17 months ago, Erdoğan said they have "overcome many critical thresholds smoothly."
“With the resolution of the issue in northern Syria through reconciliation, our security concerns have eased [and] Syria’s territorial integrity has been preserved,” he said.
"Our goal is to bring this beneficial process we have started to a safe conclusion, taking into account the bloody scenarios that are sought to be staged in our region.”
In a phone call on March 18, Erdoğan discussed bilateral relations as well as regional issues with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
"The attacks on Iran, followed by Iran’s retaliation against neighboring brotherly countries in the region, have put the region at risk of an unprecedented security crisis," Erdoğan said during the talks, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
He said Türkiye has not given up on diplomatic efforts, including mediation, and that such efforts will continue.
The president also stressed that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu government blocking Muslims’ access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque is “unacceptable” and that Gaza remains in dire need of humanitarian aid.
