Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had mobilised all available state resources following the shipwreck off the coast of occupied Cyprus.
He said search and rescue operations were continuing without interruption, while the causes of the disaster would be investigated and any possible negligence examined.
Search for missing passengers continues
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for the Military Academies of Turkey’s National Defence University, Erdogan expressed his condolences for the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“We are cooperating with the ‘TRNC’. Search and rescue operations are continuing without interruption. We have mobilised all the resources of our state and are closely monitoring the process,” he said.
Investigation into possible negligence
Erdogan said Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration would work together to establish the causes of the shipwreck.
He added that those responsible would be held accountable if negligence was established.
“We will take the necessary steps to determine the causes of the accident and, if negligence is identified, ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” he said.
Erdogan highlights Turkey’s military strength
During the same speech, Erdogan also referred extensively to the strength of the Turkish Armed Forces and the development of the country’s domestic defence industry.
He claimed the Turkish military was going through “one of the strongest periods” in its history, highlighting Turkey’s ability to produce critical systems for land, air, sea and space using domestic resources.
“Turkey is now competing with itself,” Erdogan said, adding that forces and organisations that posed a security threat to the country 30 years ago were “no longer capable of competing with Turkey in strength and scale”.
“Turkey is now playing in a different league,” he concluded.
The pro-government newspaper Sabah highlighted Erdogan’s comments under the headline “The Turkish army is in its strongest period”, while the newspaper Türkiye adopted a similar line.
Source: CNA
