Speaking at the opening ceremony of TUBITAK’s Centers of Excellence, Erdoğan highlighted Turkey’s efforts against COVID-19, and said: “We have made significant progress in our projects to develop vaccines and drugs for COVID-19 in cooperation with the private sector, universities and the state. We rank third right after the U.S. and China in the WHO’s list of countries developing local vaccine. The COVID-19 Turkey Platform, led by TUBITAK, currently runs eight different projects for vaccine and 10 different projects for drug.”

“We have run to the aid of the brotherly and friendly countries”

Drawing attention to the large number of investments made in various areas including healthcare, energy, agriculture and transport across the country, Erdoğan noted that ICU respirators of global standards are manufactured in record times in Turkey, and said: “We have not only tended to our own citizens. We have also rushed to the aid of the brotherly and friendly countries that have asked for our help.”

“Turkey’s technological infrastructure grows stronger thanks to TUBITAK’s research centers”

Emphasizing Turkey’s determination to achieve its goals, Erdoğan stated: “Our private sector, which undertakes innovative projects, and our universities as well as our strategic institutions such as TUBITAK assume critical roles in this process. Turkey’s technological infrastructure and capabilities get stronger and stronger with the contributions of TUBITAK’s research centers and institutes. With today’s inaugurations we will add new ones to these centers, and seven different infrastructures in Gebze and Ankara will thus join our technological ecosystem.”

Underscoring that added-value production is the key to sound and competitive growth, Erdoğan stated: “Foreign dependency in industry is just as grave a situation as political dependency in terms of national security. Turkey suffered from this situation for long years. We faced threats, oppressions and overt or covert sanctions on many issues ranging from the Cyprus Peace Operation to our fight against terror. At one time we failed to take enough initiative even regarding matters that were of legitimate concern to us in the Aegean and Mediterranean. We unfortunately paid in diplomacy, defense and the fight against terror the price for our lack of strength in production and export.”

“We rank third right after the U.S. and china in the who’s list of countries developing local vaccine”

Highlighting Turkey’s efforts against the coronavirus, Erdoğan said: “We have made significant progress in our projects to develop vaccine and medicine for COVID-19 in cooperation with the private sector, universities and the state. We rank third right after the U.S. and China in the WHO’s list of countries developing local vaccine. The COVID-19 Turkey Platform, led by TUBITAK, currently runs eight different projects for vaccine and 10 different projects for drug.” (ILKHA)