Erdogan:Türkiye ready for any steps to protect interests

The XXI century, which humanity expected and approached as a period of peace and stability, in fact, turned into a period of crises and wars, destruction of traditional foundations, and moral principles, and distortion of religious teachings.

The statement came from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Haji Bayram Veli University Congress Centre in Ankara on October 4, Anadolu reports.

Erdogan stressed that the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning modern Türkiye is not only the economy, defence industry and military power but also a principled position on humanitarian crises, and the desire for justice.

The president expressed regret over the inaction of the international community against the background of gross violations of international law and recalled his call for reforming the UN Security Council.

As an example of lawlessness, the Turkish leader cited the actions of the Greek military, leaving migrants to die in the middle of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

"Unfortunately, the world is silent, preferring not to see the tragedy of these people. At the same time, the Greek prime minister is asking for help from the United States. Against whom? Against Türkiye! Whatever step is taken in Athens, Ankara will do everything necessary for its national interests," the Turkish president assured.

Erdogan also drew attention to the threat posed by terrorist organisations. "The terrorists of Fethullah Gulen (FETÖ) and ISIS only differ in appearance from each other. In fact, these are sides of the same coin! These bloody structures, as well as the PKK, are pawns in the hands of anti–Islamic circles," the head of state said.