Türkiye spares no effort in securing borders and skies: Erdogan
Erdogan’s remarks came after a ballistic missile from Iran was intercepted by NATO defences as it headed towards Turkish airspace.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Türkiye is taking all necessary measures to safeguard its borders and airspace amid rising regional tensions, stressing that Ankara’s deterrence and defence capacity remain at their highest level.
“We are leaving nothing to chance when it comes to the security of our borders and airspace in these difficult times our region is going through,” Erdogan said on Wednesday.
The Turkish leader said Ankara was working closely with its NATO allies and stood ready to respond immediately to any threat.
“Türkiye is taking all necessary measures in close consultation with our NATO allies and responds immediately when required,” he said.
Erdogan’s remarks came after a ballistic munition fired from Iran and directed towards Turkish airspace was intercepted and neutralised by NATO air and missile defence units in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the Turkish defence ministry.
Ankara later summoned Iran’s ambassador and conveyed its “strong protest” over the incident, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised the issue in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Strongest warnings
Referring to the incident, Erdogan said Türkiye had issued its strongest warnings to Iran to prevent similar developments in the future.
“Our determination and capacity to ensure the security of our country and our nation are at the highest level,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of deterrence, Erdogan said maintaining peace in Türkiye requires continuously strengthening the country’s defensive capabilities.
“If we as a nation want to live in peace and stability on these lands, which are our eternal homeland, we must continuously strengthen our deterrence,” Erdogan said.
The incident comes after joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, other senior officials and nearly 1,050 Iranians — including 165 schoolchildren — and prompted Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes across the region.