“Türkiye has become an indispensable actor in its region”
Speaking at the Exercise EFES-2024, President Erdoğan said: “Since 2002, we have mobilized all kinds of means to maximize the level of indigenous production in defense industry. Thanks to the progress it has made in defense industry, Türkiye has become one of the indispensable actors in its region.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the Exercise EFES-2024 in Izmir.
Stating that nearly two thousand friendly military staff from 45 different countries have joined the Exercise EFES-2024 along with the Turkish soldiers, President Erdoğan voiced his pleasure over the increasing interest in the exercise in every area, and added: “I thank all who have contributed to the exercise that has been carried out in two stages with the participation of 11 thousand military personnel since April 15.”
Underscoring that the Exercise EFES-2024 does not target any country, President Erdoğan noted: “Our exercise has been carried out with a generic scenario based on an exercise promoting peace. I believe that the exercise will increase our military’s capabilities for the planning, coordination and execution of united and joint exercises.”
Stressing that being strong in terms of military, technology and human resource and having a high deterrence is obligatory for Türkiye given the fact that its near environ is surrounded by a circle of fire, President Erdoğan said: “We consider it to be an essential necessity to equip the Turkish Armed Forces with the most advanced equipment and systems on the ground. Since 2002, we have mobilized all kinds of means to maximize the level of indigenous production in defense industry.”
“Thanks to the progress it has made in defense industry, Türkiye has become one of the indispensable actors in its region,” President Erdoğan noted, and continued as follows: “While there were only 62 active defense projects in 2002, today this number has exceeded a thousand. While the budget of the active defense projects in 2002 was some 5.5 billion dollars, the volume of the ongoing projects today has surpassed 96 billion dollars. We are among the 10 countries capable of designing, building and operating their own warships. And we are one of the 3-4 leading countries in UAV and UCAV production.”
