Events in Syria are part of attempts to destroy Turkey’s power: Erdoğan

ANKARA

Syrian and Turkish hold placards and cartoons remarking on the war in Syrian during a demostration in Istanbul on March 15,2015. AFP PHOTO/OZAN KOSE

The ongoing tragedy in Syria is part of global attempts “to weaken Turkey’s power and damage Turkey’s position,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on March 16.“This is the reason for support given to [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] and also to Daesh [the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, ISIL],” Erdoğan said, speaking at the opening ceremony of a new facility of Turkish defense company Aselsan.Without going into details, he pointed to “some circles that do not want Turkey’s development.”Erdoğan vowed to continue to support the development of the domestic defense industry, saying Turkey is constantly strengthening its political power with economic power.He also pledged to diminish the Turkish defense industry’s foreign dependency, which he described as “a mistake made from the 1930s until 2000.”Turkey’s defense industry is currently worth $5 billion per year, with exports bringing in $1.65 million dollars, Erdoğan said.