Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made some new statements on Saturday.
In particular, in a message he sent on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Ottomans during the naval battle of Preveza in 1538, he stated: “Recent events in the world and especially in the Mediterranean show us that we must be much stronger at sea. We continue with faith and unwavering will to defend and protect our rights and interests at sea. We are fully aware of how important it is to defend our Blue Homeland.”
According to an article by ethnos.gr, the Turkish President said in his message that the victory of the Ottoman navy under the command of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha in the naval battle of Preveza in 1538 was a turning point in Turkish history.
“Following the victory in Preveza, the Ottoman Empire strengthened its dominance in the Mediterranean and showed the strength of the Turkish navy throughout the world. We are proud that this great legacy was passed on our navy, which will continue to do the same thing in the future, that is to become stronger and stronger,” he said.
The Turkish president reiterated that one who wanted to keep the peace must prepare for war: “We follow the advice of our ancestors: If we want to keep the peace we must be prepared for war. We are equipping our navy and our entire army in order to maintain peace and security in our country, our region and around the world,” he said.
“As one of the ten countries in the world that can design, manufacture and maintain their own warships depending on their own funds, we continue to strengthen our naval forces in order to protect our Blue Homeland, to provide security and to prevent some countries from making use of our rights,” he concluded.
