“We continue to protect our rights and interests in our seas with a strong will and firm belief in line with the awareness that defending our Blue Homeland is vitally important," said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Stating that the victory gained by the Ottoman navy under the command of Barbaros Kheireddin Pasha against the Christian fleet during the Naval Battle of Preveza in 1538 was one of the most important turning points in the Turkish maritime history, Erdoğan underlined that the Preveza Naval Victory has reinforced the Ottoman Empire's dominance in the Mediterranean and showed the power of Turkish navy to the whole world.

“History has recorded that peace, tranquility and justice prevail in all the seas ruled by our sailors. We are proud of the fact that our Naval Forces, which has a history full of glorious victories such as the Preveza Naval Victory, strengthens the great heritage it inherited and carries it into the future,” said Erdoğan, and made the following remarks in his message:

“Our Naval Forces, which ensure the safety of our seas in our country that is surrounded by seas on three sides, make our nation proud with its advanced possibilities and capabilities, qualified personnel and the successes it has achieved in all the tasks it undertakes, along with the strength it gets from its deep-rooted and respected history. Recent events in the world and especially in the Mediterranean show us that we should be much stronger in the seas, as in every field. With the awareness of how important it is to defend our Blue Homeland, we continue to protect our rights and interests in our seas with a strong will and firm belief. Heeding our ancestors, who say, 'Be ready to go to war, if you want peace,' we equip our Naval Forces, as all the elements of our army, with local and national possibilities and capabilities in order to perpetuate peace, tranquility and security in our country, in our region and all over the world. Today, as one of the ten countries in the world that can design, build and maintain its own warships with national means, we continue to strengthen our Naval Forces in order to protect our Blue Homeland, to ensure that our friends are safe, and to deter those coveting our rights."

On the anniversary of the Preveza Naval Victory and on the occasion of the Naval Forces Day, Erdoğan gratefully commemorated all martyrs and heroes fighting for the nation and expressed his greetings to all members of the Navy with heartfelt feelings. (ILKHA)