Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday that the Turkish navy and coast guards have saved hundreds of thousands of lives on seas.
Erdoğan attended the country's Blue Homeland military exercise via video conference from Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.
Having a strong naval force is not a choice but a necessity for Turkey, a country surrounded by seas on three sides, he noted.
"So, we attach importance to constantly improving our navy with equipment and personnel, to make the highest possible contribution to the homeland's defense," Erdoğan said in a statement.
He added that Turkey has the world's appreciation for its humanitarian, rescue, and aid operations from Ukraine to Libya across the world.
"With our Navy and Coast Guard, we have saved hundreds of thousands of lives from being lost in dark waters, while countries that consider themselves developed and modern were leaving refugees to die in the seas or even attempting to kill them by sinking their boats," he also said.
