Erdoğan hails Turkish intel’s success, says targeting MİT ‘not coincidence’

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 26 praised the efforts of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), both at the local and global levels, while underlining the intelligence’s critical role within the state.

“In an era where information and using information turned into the most efficient weapon, the importance of intelligence increased very much,” Erdoğan said.

“I believe that MİT, [with] its new buildings [and] new initiatives, will increase its contribution to our state much more,” he said.

The president’s remarks came during the inauguration ceremony of the new intelligence center in the metropolis Istanbul.

“It is not possible to bring down a country whose intelligence has not been damaged,” he said.

“It is not a coincidence that MİT comes among the first institutions being targeted within the historic struggle our country has been giving for a while,” he added.

Erdoğan also underlined the importance of Istanbul, with its “special location” regarding intelligence.

“Even though centuries have passed since [Istanbul’s] conquest, the fact that Istanbul is at the hands of the Turkish nation and Muslims is still not being accepted.”

“We witnessed this once more when there were [people] who had a hard time acknowledging Istanbul’s Turkish identity when we opened Hagia Sophia to [Islamic] worship,” he said.

“Our aim is to take Istanbul among the highest levels in the world, as the center of finance, education and culture. Our aim is to make Istanbul one of the most secure cities,” Erdoğan added.

With Turkey’s significant geopolitical location, the need to detect and prevent the spying activities against the country emerges, according to Erdoğan.

“It is not an easy job to provide security to Istanbul. With this, we have the second largest center after the [MİT] headquarters in the [capital] Ankara,” he said, adding that the intel centers in the aforementioned cities will allow Turkey to “rapidly” monitor all activities.

Almost 100 FETÖ members extradited from abroad

The president also conveyed that with MİT’s efforts, the “capacity of terrorist organizations to take action” has been very much restricted.

“Our organization also had importance accomplishments in bringing down the dreams of treacherous FETÖ members on hiding in Istanbul,” he said.

Erdoğan also said that with the intelligence diplomacy and joint operations, over 100 FETÖ members have been extradited from overseas.

“Terror organization members now know that no matter where they are in the world, the breath of the Republic of Turkey is at the back of their necks.”

The president underlined the efforts of the Turkish intelligence on their operations against the PKK, which “dealt with the biggest strikes in its history.”

“Thanks to the joint operations by MİT, TSK [Turkish Armed Forces] and police forces, the leader cadre of the PKK have been rendered ineffective,” he said.