Erdoğan: Exports in defense industry lead Turkey to have a say in its region

"I believe that we have got off to a good start to 2022 by making the important process in the critical projects of our defense industry. The latest developments have shown us once again that it is not possible for nations that cannot be independent in the defense industry to look to the future with confidence," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in his speech during an inauguration ceremony in Istanbul on Friday.

"Thanks to exports made in the defense industry, Turkey has become a country that acts as a decision-maker actor in its region by cutting the ground out from under the [anti-Turkey] plotters. With the breakthroughs that have been made, we have turned into a country that has a say in its region," Erdoğan stressed in his remarks.

"Turkey is among 10 countries in the world with the national capabilities to design, build, and maintain a warship," Erdoğan said in a statement.

Turkish leader Erdoğan attended the commissioning ceremony of an indigenously built testing and training ship, the TCG Ufuk, at the Istanbul Maritime Shipyard.

"Our country's first reconnaissance ship, Ufuk, was built via national engineering capabilities," said Erdoğan, adding that Turkey had made a good start to the year with important advances in critical defense industry projects.

Built by the Turkish defense industry, the TCG Ufuk is a corvette and the latest addition to the nation's security forces.

The vessel can cruise non-stop for 45 days under severe climate and sea conditions, including through international waters.

"So far, we've exported 180 naval platforms to 25 countries," Erdoğan said in a statement.

Touching on the country's space-related efforts, Erdoğan said: "Our eyes are on space. We continue to work on developing both launch systems and satellite systems in space."