Turkish commander says maritime security crucial for all

Maritime security is essential for all nations – even for landlocked countries – Turkey's naval commander has said.

Admiral Bulent Bostanoglu, commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, was speaking on Wednesday at a maritime security conference in Istanbul.

"Sea power has always been at the core of the global system and ensures our wealth and prosperity," Bostanoglu told the Sea Power and Security Symposium at the Naval War College.

It is the first time the college hosted such a symposium to discuss cooperation and coordination among nations to deal with emerging threats and risks in today's world.

More than 1,000 participants from 43 countries participated in the conference.

Bostanoglu stressed that no single nation has the capacity "to provide freedom of navigation, keep the sea lines open and safeguard vital means in the world and thus protect global order.

"We must count on each other to support the use of seas for local purposes and include its use for others. It is self-evident that we must work together. Sea power has always been at the core of the global system and ensures our wealth and prosperity," Bostanoglu said.

The admiral stressed that if nations can cooperate in maritime security, they can foster "stability and prosperity on the land as well.

"We need to need cooperation despite our differences. Seas can lead us to prosperity but if we fail to resolve our differences, seas can only bring us struggle."

Like Bostanoglu, Lieutenant General Tahir Bekiroglu, commandant of the Turkish War College Command, said threats and risks required nations "to cooperate and coordinate".

"The security environment desperately needs this cooperation among nations," Bekiroglu said.