President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated once again that Türkiye does not turn its back on the West or the East and aims to enhance its relations with both sides to maximize the benefits for the country, as he said Ankara would permanently end terrorism, despite the efforts of some actors to destabilize the country.
Speaking to reporters following a news conference in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan said Türkiye’s developing engagements with BRICS are in no way an alternative to its ties with NATO or the European Union.
“The backbone of our foreign policy focuses on Türkiye. We do not turn our back on the West or the East and we’re not switching sides,” the president said and added: “On the contrary, we try to take our due part in the changing global system with a Türkiye-centered perception.”
President Erdoğan was in Tatarstan on Wednesday to join leaders of BRICS countries as Ankara aspires to get into the bloc as part of its multipolar strategy.
Most of the BRICS members are sharply at odds with the West over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and in the case of Beijing and Moscow, also its stance on the Ukraine war.
BRICS is an acronym for its five founding members, although the alliance added four nations this year, three from the Middle East, including Iran, which the West says is supplying Russia with drones to use against Ukraine.
Erdoğan also reiterated Ankara’s determination to permanently root out terrorism, as Türkiye reels back from a deadly terror attack on the state-run aerospace and defense giant Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) last week.
“The timing and target of the terrorist attack shows it was no coincidence,” Erdoğan said, adding that terrorism steps in whenever there is ground for dialogue in Turkish politics.
“For years, terrorism has been used as an apparatus to steer politics,” the president said, as he said Türkiye will not remain silent to the replication of the same scenario.
He noted that the Turkish military hit over 470 targets and eliminated 213 PKK terrorists and said the country would ultimately get rid of terrorism for good.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye would “decisively” continue to make breakthroughs in the defense industry, calling it “the source of pride” for the country.
Erdoğan had previously condemned the terrorist attack, as he said it targets Türkiye’s defense breakthroughs.
One of Türkiye’s top defense firms and a major arms producer, TAI employs 15,500 people and has a vast production site covering an area of five million square meters.
Established in 1973, TAI conducts design, production and modernization of the aircraft needed by Türkiye, along with export activities.
The company has significantly contributed to strengthening the Turkish defense industry through important projects it has realized to date.
The air platforms produced under the company’s coordination, such as the T129 ATAK Attack and Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter, T70 General Purpose Helicopter and ANKA and AKSUNGUR unmanned aerial vehicles, serve security forces.
