Dear members of the National Intelligence Organization, distinguished guests, I greet you with my heartfelt greetings. I am pleased to be with you. 4 years ago, we came together at the opening of the castle campus. I wish you all the best again.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at the 97th anniversary of the establishment of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) held at the National Intelligence Organization Castle Campus. Commenting on MİT’s operation against Mossad, Erdoğan said, “Our organization, which uncovered Israel’s espionage network in our country, gave a very clear answer to those who threaten us. Israel is confused, stop, this is only the first step. You are doomed to recognize Turkey.”
We are proud to reach the 97th anniversary of MIT. I congratulate MIT from the bottom of my heart. I thank everyone who contributed. I wish God’s mercy to the martyrs who lost their lives in the course of their duties.
I would like to thank 81 provinces and distinguished members of the organization working all over the world.
We have been at Turkey’s service since 2002. We have always worked closely with you. During these processes, I witnessed not only the efforts and patriotism of the members of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), but also their sense of duty and analytical skills. We worked shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters who would give their lives for their state without a second thought. I know well how devotedly the hidden heroes work. I congratulate the members of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) who sometimes sacrifice their families and sometimes their health. May God bless you all.
Most of the crises occur around our country. We strive both to grow our country and to ensure the security of our state. At this stage, everyone accepts the fact that Turkey is strengthening its power as a playmaker on the global chessboard day by day. Many of our interlocutors from Europe to Asia express this. News and articles about our increasing presence in global politics are sometimes published out of envy. Contrary to the claims of some, there has been no axis shift in our country, our country has found its real axis. The name of this axis is the axis of Turkey.
As in the past, we do not act based on what others say. We determine our policies based on Turkey. We seek to do this regardless of who says what. We defend the interests of our country both diplomatically and militarily. Our operations are an example of this. The liberation of Karabakh with our Azerbaijani brothers is one of them. Our will to protect the blue homeland from the Aegean to the Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean is one of them. The achievements of our country were not a coincidence. There is the sweat and heart sweat of our army and foreign ministry, especially MIT. I congratulate all our institutions.
The Russia-Ukraine war has shaken things up. Security concepts also underwent radical changes. States that saw defense spending as a waste entered an arms race within a year or two. Those who talk about narrowing the scope of duties of security units give unlimited powers to security institutions. The number of military cooperation is increasing. Turkey is one of the countries that recognized these risks in advance. Those who criticized us in the past now appreciate our country. UAVs and drones are admired around the world. The defense industry has become the export item with the highest added value. We broke the record in the history of the Republic. ANKA 3 successfully made its first flight. The tests of Kızılelma, which will have a multiplier effect, continue. The capability, capacity and capability of our army, security forces and the National Intelligence Organization are getting stronger. We see this clearly in the fight against terrorism. MİT is one of the leading institutions that use unmanned aerial vehicles effectively. It does not let terrorists breathe with its capabilities. We have made the organization’s leadership unable to come out of their lairs. Now MİT is no longer dealing with their riff-raff, it is trying to destroy the leadership. let’s take this costly step, what business do we have with the riff-raff.
Almost every day we receive news of a murderer neutralized hundreds of kilometers away from our borders. We are fighting DAESH in the same way. The Republic of Turkey may leave it for tomorrow, but it will not let anyone get away with treason and terrorism.
From DAESH to FETO, we will not allow any illegal organization to survive. Let them flee wherever they want, our state will always be breathing down their necks. We are determined to pursue the FETO traitors.
As the government, we have taken many steps to strengthen the human resources of the organization since 2010. The civilianization of the MİT, which started under Özal, gained momentum during our term. As MİT became civilianized, it started to perform its primary duty. Periods of guardianship also damaged the institutions that form the backbone of the state. We all know well what the organization spent its time on during these periods. Hopefully, we will not allow similar energy to be wasted. The human resources pool of the Council has also become sufficient to meet the activities of MİT. We will further strengthen its personnel capacity in the coming period. It is unthinkable for Turkey’s security concept to remain the same. We are revising the threat ranking.
