By our correspondent in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis

The first German-engineered, Turkish-built Reis-class submarine PİRİREİS (TYPE-214) officially joined the Turkish fleet at a ceremony held at the Aksaz Naval Base opposite Rhodes, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressing that Ankara is strengthening its Navy to the support of the Blue Homeland.

“We are a country surrounded by seas on three sides, with the eyes of the whole world on it. We are at the center of a geography that has been the scene of global power struggles for centuries. We are a nation that owes its millennial existence in these lands to the holy blood and sacrifices of its martyrs. We know that in order to live peacefully in our lands we must have a strong and efficient navy both in our “Blue Homeland” and in distant geographies. With this understanding, we have been trying to strengthen the Turkish Armed Forces in every field with the motto “Strong Turkey, Strong Army” since 2002,” he said.

The Turkish president emphasized that he works with the doctrine that whoever controls the seas also controls the world.

Mr. Erdoğan also mentioned the second submarine of the Turkish Navy HİZİRREİS which will start sea trials as well as the third submarine MURATREİS which was launched. “We will commission all Reis-class submarines by 2029. As you know, we are currently one of the few countries that can design, build and maintain their own warships”

The president of Turkey emphasized that the Aksaz base has been upgraded and its shipyard will now not only carry out maintenance and repairs but also shipbuilding for the needs of the Navy.

“We are strengthening our shipbuilding infrastructure. Now we have our 4th shipyard. The Aksaz Shipyards Administration has a total area of ​​113 thousand
square meters. The Aksaz shipyard is strategically extremely important as it is located at the intersection of the Aegean and the Mediterranean. And later we will also build a 5th shipyard in Mersini.”

The Turkish Navy now has shipyards in Istanbul, Golcuk, Izmir and Aksaz.

Mr. Erdogan stated that “We will take steady steps towards the goals of Turkey’s century, regardless of the bums who call the Blue Homeland a fairy tale, without getting stuck in obstacles and without taking any steps.”