President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is emerging as one of the “founding actors” of a new global order, citing advances in defense and technology.
Speaking at an event in Ankara marking the opening of a new production facility by defense firm Roketsan, Erdoğan said modern warfare is shifting from traditional battlefields to cyber domains and unmanned systems.
“We are not concerned with adapting to this new system where cyber warfare has replaced trench warfare, because we are now determining the direction of events both on the ground and in technology,” he said.
Erdoğan added that Türkiye, through domestically developed systems, platforms and munitions, has become a country that “sets standards” in the defense sector and is capable of protecting its own airspace and equipping its own military assets.
Condemnation of Istanbul attack
In the same remarks, Erdoğan condemned the shooting near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, where one attacker was killed and two others wounded in a gunfight with police.
He said “terrorists were neutralized” and wished a speedy recovery to the injured officers.
“I condemn this treacherous attack. We will not allow any harm to be done to Türkiye’s climate of security,” Erdoğan said, reiterating that the country would continue its fight against terrorism “in all its forms.”
The comments come amid heightened regional tensions, as Ankara seeks to position itself as both a security actor and a diplomatic player in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.