Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense (MSB), spoke at the weekly press briefing held at the Ministry. Stating that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) continues its fight against terrorism, protecting the borders, and ensuring the defense and security of the country on land, at sea and in the air, Aktürk said:
COMBAT TERRORISM AND BORDER SECURITY
"In this context, 2 more PKK terrorists surrendered last week, 477 people were caught at our borders, the number of people caught trying to cross our borders illegally since January 1st was 13 thousand 843, and the number of people blocked this year reached 54 thousand 851, together with the 981 people blocked. On the other hand, approximately 60 kilograms of drugs were found in the search and screening activity carried out on the Van border line this week." The item was seized."
ATTACKS OF INVADING ISRAEL
Pointing out that Israel, which has endangered the security and stability of the region since October 2023 within the scope of the developments in the Middle East, continues its massacres and provocative discourses today, Aktürk continued: "The number of Palestinians who lost their lives and were forced to be forcibly removed from their homes and dormitories is increasing day by day with Israel's inhumane attacks. The suffering of the Palestinian people must not be ignored and Israel's attacks that exceed its limits, disregard human values and keep our region in chaos must end." "We emphasize once again that the international community should take a more determined stance against Israel. We also wish God's mercy to those who lost their lives in the Houthi attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and a speedy recovery to the injured. These attacks, which target civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians and are a clear violation of international and humanitarian law, cause further escalation of tension in the region and must end as soon as possible."
MECCA DEFENSE ALLIANCE
Following the weekly press briefing held at the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry made statements in response to the questions of members of the press.
In response to the question regarding the process regarding the military forces and capabilities that can be provided by Turkey to Saudi Arabia within the scope of the Mecca Defense Alliance, the Ministry said, "It will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of our Constitution and relevant legislation. In this context, the agreement must be approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the necessary authorization processes for sending the Turkish Armed Forces abroad must be completed." statement was made.
It was stated that the principles regarding the scope of the contribution that can be provided will be determined in line with the evaluations to be made by the relevant authorities and the agreement between the parties, taking into account the needs and demands of Saudi Arabia, developments in the field and operational needs.
F-35 PROCUREMENT AND CAATSA SANCTIONS
It was stated that contacts regarding the delivery of 6 F-35 warplanes produced for Türkiye are continuing with the US authorities.
The following statements were made by the Ministry on the subject: "As we have stated before, our expectation is to remove all direct or indirect restrictions on our defense industry through CAATSA sanctions, which are incompatible with the spirit of alliance. We expect the process to result positively in line with our alliance relations and mutual interests."
C-130J SUPPLY
It was stated that the 12 C-130J aircraft supplied from England in order to meet the operational needs of the Air Forces Command will make a significant contribution to the air transport capability of the Turkish Armed Forces with their increased carrying capacity.
In the statement, which stated that the maintenance, renovation and modification operations of the aircraft were carried out by the manufacturer company in England, the following was noted: "The activities in question are monitored and controlled by our authorized Air Force Command personnel. After the aircraft are included in the inventory, flight, maintenance and repair activities will be carried out with our own means and capabilities. In this context, the training of our pilots, flight crew, maintenance personnel and engineers is planned to be completed by the end of 2026, and the first two aircraft are planned to be delivered in December 2026."
