Penning an article for the Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he envisioned a fully independent Türkiye and “the future belonged to the nation.”
“The world is going through turbulent times where fault lines of humanity, politics and economy are deeply shaken and global governance mechanisms have become dysfunctional. In this stormy era full of challenges, Türkiye raises attention to global problems and highlights on every platform that a fairer world is possible.
“We don’t treat the problems in the global system as something that may very well continue; we are finding rational solutions to regional and global issues. We are the voice of hope, not despair,” Erdoğan stated.
Under the leadership of Erdoğan, Türkiye raised its profile as an international broker of peace and a key actor in global diplomacy. Differing from the Western approach to several issues, such as the genocide in Gaza, Ankara championed reforms in the U.N., adopting the slogan of “the world is bigger than five” in reference to members of the U.N. Security Council, to restore an order of humanitarian values.
“Our region simultaneously fights a string of challenges interlinked with each other, from terrorism and conflicts to migration crisis and climate problems. The world is going through humanitarian crises of proportions rarely seen throughout history. Türkiye does not turn a blind eye to those negative developments and has adopted a principled stance inspired by our history. With our humanitarian aid moves, we show our friends, our brothers that they are not alone,” Erdoğan wrote.
The president said Türkiye was taking historic steps to strengthen itself in every field, particularly in the defense industry. “Türkiye upgraded to a country where the rate of domestic products reached 80%, from a country that could not obtain weapons and munitions even from its own allies, despite paying in advance. We can now manufacture our own aircraft, weapons, ships, missiles, tanks and artillery. We know we have a long way ahead, but we are certain that we will achieve our goals. We will never fall into despair,” he said.
“Türkiye is developed in every field, from education to technology. By strengthening its unity in the region and in the world, Türkiye will make a name for itself. Our path to the future is open. The future belongs to Türkiye, this noble nation,” he said.
