Turkey will make its own engine: Erdoğan

ANKARA

Turkey is getting close to producing its own engine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said late on June 13.

“Turkey is about to produce a local engine,” Erdoğan said in an interview on a local TV station in the northern province of Rize.

His announcement comes in the wake of recent remarks on the country’s first indigenous automobile, which is hit the roads in 2021 and which the government says will contribute 50 billion euros ($58.7 billion) to the country’s GDP.

Speaking on Turkey’s local defense industry, Erdoğan said his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has increased production to 65 percent from 20 percent during its time in power.

He said the country is now largely independent from foreign sources and is manufacturing its own drones, armed drones, and rifles.

“In addition, a prototype for a tank has been produced and mass production will start in due course,” he said, also noting that Turkey produces ATAK helicopters and has begun exporting them.

Erdoğan also praised the role of the recently opened Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), a natural gas pipeline that stretches from the Turkish-Georgian border to the Turkish-Greek border and supplies natural gas to Turkey and also European countries.

The 1,850-kilometer pipeline is the largest section of the 3,500-km Southern Gas Corridor, which was inaugurated on May 29 in Baku.

The president also mentioned the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline, which will carry gas from Russia under the Black Sea to Turkish Thrace. The project agreement between Ankara and Moscow for the Turkish Stream pipeline was signed on Oct. 10, 2016 and was ratified by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 7.

One of the pipelines, with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters, is expected to supply the Turkish market, while a second pipeline will carry gas to Europe.

“All of these are making Turkey a [gas] hub. We are distributing it to Europe from here,” Erdoğan said, adding that natural gas will no longer be an issue for Turkey as it would have the authority to increase or decrease the amount of gas flow.