Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed in his speech on Wednesday, "Our organization, which exposed Israel's espionage network in our country, has given the necessary response to those threatening us."
Erdoğan spoke at the 97th Anniversary events of the National Intelligence Organization held at the National Intelligence Organization Campus in Kale.
In his speech, Erdoğan laid out these keynotes:
"I am delighted to be with the esteemed members of our National Intelligence Organization. Four years ago, we gathered with you on the occasion of the opening of our Kale campus. I wish our Kale campus, which not only demonstrates the expanding vision of our organization but also adds strength to its power, to be auspicious and prosperous once again. We just inaugurated our museum that sheds light on the glorious history of our organization. I congratulate everyone who contributed to the establishment of our museum, designed around the concepts of homeland, tradition, and future.
We take pride in reaching the 97th anniversary of the National Intelligence Organization. I sincerely congratulate the 97th anniversary of our organization. I extend my condolences to the martyrs who lost their lives during their duties, and I wish health and well-being to our members honored with gallantry. May God grant peace to the souls of our martyrs and grant them a place in paradise. I thank all the distinguished members of our organization working not only in our 81 provinces but also across the world, serving Türkiye.
I would like to express a sincere point at the beginning of my words. With the appreciation of our dear nation, we have been in the service of Türkiye since 2002. Throughout the 21 years of serving as Prime Minister and President, we have always worked closely with you. In the past 21 years, we have experienced critical days that are like matters of life and death. We have overcome many hardships, faced numerous attacks, and successfully dealt with difficulties and obstacles. In all these processes, I have personally witnessed not only the efforts, courage, and patriotism of our MIT members but also their high sense of duty, intellectual accumulation, and analytical capabilities.
We have worked shoulder to shoulder with many brothers who would willingly sacrifice their lives for the state when necessary. Therefore, I congratulate each MIT member who has worked by sacrificing their family, loved ones, and sometimes their health. I pray that God does not bring any harm to any of you.
Türkiye is located at the center of global power competition economically, politically, and militarily. The majority of crises that occupy humanity's agenda occur in the immediate vicinity of our country. While our surroundings are surrounded by a ring of fire, we are striving to both develop our country and ensure the security of our state. In this period of increasing uncertainty, our country is making a name for itself with its economic, military, diplomatic, and intelligence successes. At this stage, almost everyone acknowledges this reality.
Türkiye is consolidating its position as a leading actor on the global chessboard day by day. Our claim of a strong Türkiye on the table and in the field is now becoming a reality with all its elements. Look, we are not the only ones saying this; many of our interlocutors from Europe to Asia, Africa to America, express this reality. In recent times, many news articles, essays, and books have been published due to the increasing presence of our country in global politics. Both those who follow the steps taken by our country and those who compare Türkiye before 2002 with today already see the clear difference. The reality is that, contrary to the claims of some, there has been no shift in axis in our country, but after long searches, our country has found its true axis. This axis is called the Türkiye axis.
Unlike in the past, we do not act with concern about what others will say. We determine every decision in domestic and foreign policy entirely based on Türkiye's interests. We are committed to pursuing what is needed for our nation, regardless of what anyone else says. We defend the interests of our people with courage in both diplomacy and the military field, taking the right steps at the right time. Our military operations in northern Syria are a clear example of this. Our ongoing Operation Claw in northern Iraq is another example. The liberation of Karabakh with our Azerbaijani brothers after nearly 30 years of occupation is one of them. The support we provide to the legitimate government of Libya, where we have ancient ties, is one of them. The strong determination we have shown in protecting our Blue Homeland from the Aegean to the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean is one of them.
It is possible to increase the number of these examples. Just as no success is accidental, none of the gains our country has achieved in different fields is a result of chance. In all these successes, including the National Intelligence Organization, our army, our police, our foreign ministry, and our other institutions have put their effort, struggle, sweat, and heart into it. The coordination and collaboration of our security institutions have enabled our nation to experience these historic successes. I congratulate all our institutions through you.
With the Russia-Ukraine war, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Geopolitics has become increasingly prominent in this new era. We also see that there have been fundamental changes in security concepts during this process. For example, until just 5-10 years ago, states that considered defense expenditures as waste and a burden on public budgets entered into an arms race in the last 1-2 years. Some who used to talk about narrowing the scope of security units just a short while ago are among us. All these developments are giving unlimited powers to security institutions today, both in the West and in our country. The number of security and military cooperation agreements signed between countries is increasing day by day. Türkiye, thankfully, is one of the countries that started investing in defense capabilities very early, recognizing these risks.
Those who criticized us in the past are now praising our country. Our defense industry initiatives, symbolized by UAVs and UCAVs, are being closely followed with admiration worldwide. The defense industry, of which we were 80% dependent on foreign countries in the past, has now become the highest value-added export item in our country. In 2023, we broke the record of the Republic's history by making a $5.5 billion defense export. Our unmanned combat aerial vehicle ANKA-3 successfully completed its first flight. The tests of KIZILELMA, which will have a multiplier effect in this field, are ongoing. As our defense industry's range of local and national products expands, the capacity and capability of our army, police, and MIT presidency are strengthening. We can clearly see the positive results of this, especially in our fight against terrorist organizations. Our MIT presidency is at the forefront of institutions effectively using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Our organization, which exposed Israel's espionage network in our country, has given a very clear response to those who threaten us.
We are aware that Türkiye's firm and steadfast stance, especially in regional crises such as the massacres in Gaza, has disturbed some and disrupted their calculations. The recent increase in espionage activities directed towards our country is just one manifestation of this discomfort. Of course, we are not idle in the face of these challenges. National Intelligence Organization, with its operations that make us proud, is showing the world that things are not as easy as scratching the surface. The organization has clearly responded to those who threaten us by revealing Israel's espionage network in our country. This has genuinely surprised Israel. How did you manage to gather, capture, and arrest them, they wonder. Well, this is just the first step. You will get to know Türkiye; you still haven't. But you are destined to get to know us.
Especially, I would like to remind you that in a period where asymmetric threats have increased and diversified, it is inconceivable for Türkiye's security concept to remain the same. We, too, are updating and revising our national security sensitivities according to changing conditions. In addition to terrorism and foreign espionage activities, new threats such as irregular migration, radicalization, organized crime, foreign hostility, and Islamophobia have also come under the radar of our institution. We will absolutely not allow fifth column elements, who try to undermine the unity and solidarity of our people by hiding behind different masks, any leeway.
Until now, we have not allowed the spark of conflicts around us, from Syria to Iraq and Ukraine, to ignite in our country. We have jointly thwarted many attacks targeting our survival, from the Gezi Protests to the events of October 6-8. In the future, we will not tolerate operations aimed at our country through sectarian, ethnic, and religious differences. In this process, we must be very cautious against social media platforms, which have turned into nests of discord and hatred in our era. We cannot remain indifferent to the use of these platforms as the center of psychological operations against our country in a period of escalating tension in our region. We are a country that has paid the price for such provocations in the past. We cannot subject our people to similar pain again.
We appreciate the intelligence diplomacy that the MIT (National Intelligence Organization) conducts behind the scenes in a wide range to reduce tensions in our region. In the field of foreign intelligence, our organization contributes to other countries' counterterrorism efforts, hostage rescues, mediations, and many successful operations. We proudly follow the successes of the MIT in preventing cyberattacks against state officials and critical institutions.
I would like to draw special attention to one point here. With the widespread use of smartphones, the use of foreign messaging applications among our public officials has increased. Unfortunately, many official information, documents, notes, and documents belonging to our official institutions are shared through these applications. It is evident that this situation poses a serious vulnerability in terms of information security. We see that European countries have recently implemented various restrictions on the use of these applications for public personnel at certain levels and positions. I believe that our state should take action on this matter. Encouraging the use of Türkiye-originated applications developed by our own companies, instead of foreign applications, can be considered as an alternative in this process. I see the benefit in the MIT providing guidance to other institutions in strengthening our state's information security. We will closely follow these efforts. I believe that the National Intelligence Organization, which has become a centennial oak with its 97-year history, will continue to make us proud in every field. During this process, we will continue to stand by you and provide you with all kinds of support."
