Speaking at the 949th anniversary commemorations of the Victory of Manzikert, Erdoğan said: “Turkey will get what is rightfully its in the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Black Sea. Just as we do not have our eye on anyone’s lands, sovereignty or interests, we will never make any concessions on what belongs to us, either. To this end, we are determined to do whatever it takes in political, economic and military terms. We want all to see that Turkey is no longer a country whose patience, resolution, capabilities or courage can be tested.”

“Turkey will get what is rightfully its in the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Black Sea”

“That those, who were forced to leave Anatolia in a miserable condition just a century ago, now pursue hollow bravado in the Aegean is nothing but a manifestation of the psychology of whistling past the graveyard,” said the President, and continued as follows: “There is no use fearing the inevitable. Turkey will get what is rightfully its in the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Black Sea. Just as we do not have our eye on anyone’s lands, sovereignty or interests, we will never make any concessions on what belongs to us, either. To this end, we are determined to do whatever it takes in political, economic and military terms. We urge our counterparts to pull themselves together and avoid mistakes that would lead to their devastation. We want all to see that Turkey is no longer a country whose patience, resolution, capabilities or courage can be tested. If we say we will do it, we will do it and pay the price.”

“Every success we achieve enables us to look to the future more confidently”

Concerning Turkey’s natural gas discovery in the Black Sea, Erdoğan stated: “Every success we achieve in political, economic and military areas enables us to look to the future more confidently. The natural gas reserves we have discovered in the Black Sea have provided our nation with the morale and resources it has long needed. The income to be generated from this natural resource will be used to raise the life standards of each one of our 83 million citizens and to help our country attain its goals faster. We will hopefully move this success much further with more good news.” (ILKHA)