President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Central Anatolia Economic Forum in the province of Sivas.

Drawing attention to the distance Turkey has covered in economy and defense industry over the past 17 years, President Erdoğan said that Turkey’s national income per capita has risen from $3,400 to as high as $11,000 and that its exports have increased from $36 billion to $170 billion.

"What is more, Turkey now meets 70 percent of its defense industry needs through domestic and national means. On top of that, our exports in the defense industry have reached 2.5 billion dollars," he said.

"We seek Turkey’s rise in the economy with all its 81 provinces, as is the case with Sivas," President Erdoğan further stressed.

"We travel across the world with our business people in order to find new markets and develop new relationships. We provide every support to both our own entrepreneurs and to global entrepreneurs that come to our country," he added.

Also touching upon Turkey’s purchase of S-400 defense systems from Russia, President Erdoğan underlined that the S-400s, as its name suggests, are defense systems, not assault, and said that the process will have been completed in April.

The President added that he told U.S. President Trump Turkey would buy the Patriots from the U.S. should they be sold with the same conditions as those of Turkey’s S-400 purchase from Russia. 

Noting that he spoke with U.S. President Trump over the phone five days ago, President Erdoğan stated that they will meet again on the occasion of the upcoming UN General Assembly.

"Now everything's fine, but someone's got a nuclear-powered missile, not one or two... But I should have a nuclear-powered missile! This I cannot accept.

Erdoğan cited zionist terror state as a regional power that has a military nuclear program.

"We have Israel nearby, almost as neighbors. They scare [other nations] by possessing these. No one can touch them," he said. (ILKHA)