President Erdogan spotlights Türkiye’s multi-dimensional foreign policy

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday highlighted Türkiye’s commitment to a multi-dimensional foreign policy at the Naval Academy graduation ceremony held in Istanbul.

“While strengthening our relations with the East, we will seek ways to advance our deep-rooted cooperation with the West,” the president said.

Balancing East, West

Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye does not need to choose between the European Union (EU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), aiming to maintain strong ties with both.

Reaffirming Türkiye’s stance on the Cyprus issue, Erdogan declared: “We will protect our rights in the Blue Homeland to the end and will not allow the rights of our Turkish Cypriot brothers to be violated.”

Defense Industry advancements

He also highlighted advancements in Türkiye’s defense industry, including the development of a new submarine project and ongoing efforts to build an aircraft carrier, which he claimed would elevate the Turkish navy to “a different league.”

“Türkiye is the protector of the oppressed. The Turkish nation will continue to make history and shape its direction for centuries to come,” The Turkish president added.

He stressed crucial steps are being taken to strengthen the Turkish navy, including the addition of six modern submarines to the fleet.

“We are steadily implementing our new submarine project, and discussions are ongoing for our flagship aircraft carrier. The Turkish navy will rise to a different league,” the president concluded.