President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday that Türkiye acts wherever needed beyond its borders to protect its security, eliminating threats at their origin without seeking permission from others.
Speaking at an iftar program with families of martyrs at Çankaya Mansion in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan said that significant progress has been made in efforts toward a "terror-free Türkiye.”
"There has been a serious decrease in security risks directed at our country, both within and beyond our borders,” he said.
Referring to terrorism, Erdoğan said: "We are determined to rid Türkiye forever of this scourge that has burned the hearts of our nation for nearly half a century.”
He noted that thanks to operations by the armed forces and other security units, "we have significantly restricted the mobility of terrorist groups.”
"Today, we can meet almost all our needs ourselves in nearly every field, including UAVs, armed UAVs, missiles, rockets, ships, helicopters and tanks,” he said.
He further added that an agreement was reached last month to resolve the issue in northern Syria without bloodshed, adding that "the process leading to full integration has begun.”
Erdoğan said the government’s commission overseeing counterterrorism efforts has been working since Aug. 5 and completed its findings on Wednesday.
He also pointed to "positive developments” in neighboring Syria, highlighting last month’s agreement aimed at resolving the situation in northern Syria without further bloodshed.
"We reached an understanding last month on solving the problem in northern Syria without bloodshed,” he said. "God willing, we will bring these efforts to their destination safely.”
Erdoğan emphasized that security risks targeting Türkiye have "seriously decreased” thanks to operations conducted both at home and across the border.