President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the Aksaz Shipyard Command Inauguration and Naval Platforms Delivery Ceremony in Muğla. President Erdoğan said: “We continue our efforts without a break to glorify and elevate our country, entrusted to us by our martyrs, to the levels it deserves. We are a country surrounded by seas on three sides and the whole world has its eyes on us. We are located right at the center of a geography that has been the scene for global power struggles throughout centuries. We are a nation who owes its thousand-year-long existence on these lands to the sacrifices and blessed blood of its martyrs. We are cognizant of the fact that in order to live in peace on our lands, we must have a strong and effective navy in both our Blue Homeland and distant geographies. With this understanding, we have been endeavoring since 2002 to strengthen the Turkish Armed Forces in every field with the motto, ‘Strong Army, Strong Türkiye’.” “WE WILL ADD STRENGTH TO OUR NAVY BY PUTTING INTO SERVICE BY 2029 ALL OUR SUBMARINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROJECT PHASE” President Erdoğan stated: “As is the case here today, the steps Türkiye takes are being followed with admiration by our friends, with the feelings of solidarity and gratitude by our brothers and sisters, and with fear by our enemies. Our efforts to bolster our navy’s capabilities and deterrence constitute the backbone of our goal of strengthening our military. We have mobilized all our means and resources to provide every kind of systems and platforms needed by our naval forces. We take our navy one step closer to the targeted level with every vessel whose project has been completed, whose construction has started, which has been commissioned, or which has been modernized.” “Submarines are the primary strategic elements of our naval forces. The TCG Piri Reis, which has been commissioned today, is the first of our six submarines that have an air-independent propulsion system,” said President Erdoğan. “Our Reis class submarines are equipped with qualifications much more advanced than their counterparts across the world. The Piri Reis submarine is capable of operating for a long duration without surfacing.” Noting that the Hızır Reis submarine of the same class is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025 and the Murat Reis submarine in 2026, President Erdoğan stressed that the construction works of the fourth submarine, Aydın Reis, the fifth submarine, Seydi Ali Reis, and the sixth submarine, Selman Reis, continue at full pace, and added: “We will add strength to our navy by putting into service by 2029 all our submarines that are currently in the project phase.” “TÜRKİYE’S RIGHTS AND INTERESTS IN THE BLUE HOMELAND WILL BE SAFEGUARDED MORE EFFECTIVELY” Describing Türkiye as one of the few countries capable of designing, building and maintaining its own warships, President Erdoğan further stressed: “That is not enough for us. We hope to achieve our goal of building our own submarine, a dream of approximately 138 years, with our MİLDEN project. In this way, we will join the ranks of the leading countries in the world that can design and build their own submarines. Our efforts regarding the MİLDEN project continue in their own course. Another point that should be highlighted concerning the Piri Reis submarine is that a large number of Turkish defense industry firms have participated as sub-contractors in its construction and as a result vast experience has been gained for the MİLDEN.” Underscoring that Türkiye’s rights and interests in the Blue Homeland will be safeguarded more effectively with the implementation of the relevant projects, President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “We will gradually provide our country's air defense from the sea with the TF-2000 Air Defense Warfare Destroyer, whose construction will begin at the Istanbul Shipyard. We will protect our critical capabilities, such as the TCG Anadolu and the National Aircraft Carrier, in case of airborne threats. Our rights and interests in overseas spheres of influence will be protected with our HÜRJET, KIZILELMA, TB3, ANKA3 domestic and national aircraft mounted on our National Aircraft Carrier.” “WE SEE OUR ACHIEVEMENTS AS A HARBINGER OF NEW SUCCESSES” Drawing attention to the 200 ongoing projects of naval platforms and 40 ongoing projects of autonomous surface/underwater vehicles, President Erdoğan went onto say: “We all know that these are just the beginning. Türkiye has the capacity to achieve much more. We see our achievements as a harbinger of new victories and successes. The results we have obtained despite the countless embargoes we have faced attest to what can be achieved through determination and perseverance. Let there be no doubt that we will continue to do whatever is necessary for a powerful Turkish Armed Forces on land, in the air, at sea and everywhere.” Pointing out that the primary objective is to build an effective and fully-independent defense policy as well as a strong and fully-independent defense industry, President Erdoğan added: “We will inshallah achieve our goals in defense industry by using our country’s resources in the most effective manner and by preventing any waste of time and wealth.”