President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged a renewed government mobilization against addiction, labeling the issue a threat to national security.
"Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and online betting have reached dimensions as harmful as, or even more than, terrorism to our national fabric," Erdoğan said on Jan. 15 during an event in Ankara.
The gathering at the Presidential Complex marked the launch of a new youth-focused channel from state broadcaster TRT.
"We are extremely determined to fight all forms of addiction," Erdoğan said. "[However], security measures alone are not enough in the fight against addiction. We must act with a spirit of mobilization."
Erdoğan praised TRT as a "bulwark" against cultural degeneration, particularly regarding the protection of the traditional family unit.
"One of the battlegrounds of culture wars is the family," he said. "From TV series to movies, from cartoons to games, characters are carefully placed in everything, encouraging distorted relationships. For us, TRT's success lies in producing shows that all members of the family can watch with peace of mind."
The president also used the event to criticize Ankara’s local administration over a water crisis in the capital.
"In Ankara, millions of our citizens were condemned to thirst for weeks," Erdoğan said. "We witnessed with sadness and shame scenes that are utterly unworthy of Türkiye in 2026."
The president accused local officials of attempting to suppress media coverage of the crisis rather than addressing the infrastructure failures.
"Instead of apologizing, they are blaming Anadolu Agency, TRT and the free press for reporting the problem," Erdoğan said. "We need to ask this chorus of incompetence... Is the one who makes citizens stand in line with water containers in the freezing night guilty, or is the one who reports the news guilty?"
Ankara’s dam reservoir levels have plummeted to around 1 percent, leading to rotating water shutoffs across several districts. City officials have attributed the shortage to the most severe drought the region has seen in decades.
"We believe that our citizens have also seen how those who leave no stone unturned when it comes to press freedom suddenly steer towards fascism," Erdoğan said.
