Erdoğan calls TCG Anadolu warship "one of his dream projects"

Türkiye's largest warship TCG Anadolu rendered a 21-gun salute in honor of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as it sailed through the Istanbul Strait on Sunday on its way to the Black Sea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his hopes for the future of Türkiye's defense industry and the TCG Anadolu, saying that one of his biggest dreams was to see it realized.

The Turkish leader also praised the increasing rate of domestic production in the defense industry and highlighted the importance of the military's role and mission in natural disaster relief and peace support efforts.

The vessel, which is the world's first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) carrier, departed the port of Sarayburnu and sailed past the Dolmabahçe Palace.

President Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan, accompanied by children from Türkiye's southern quake-hit areas, were out on the palace deck to see off the TCG Anadolu.

Erdoğan pointed the finger at the Türkiye's determination to realize the next step of the TCG Anadolu project as soon as possible.

"We are happy to increase the rate of locally-made products in the defense industry, which we took over in the 20s, to 80 percent," Erdoğan stressed in his comments.

"Hopefully, after May 14, we will operate this process much more decisively. One of the biggest dreams in my heart was the current TCG Anadolu. But now I want to quickly realize the next step of TCG Anadolu. This is a new step to realizing this. I had talks with the Spaniards and the British on these issues. As a result of these meetings, we received very positive responses from both sides," Erdoğan said in a statement.

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and top Turkish military commanders were aboard the TCG Anadolu, which was escorted by Turkish Air Force helicopters as it passed through the strait.