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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Türkiye would not tolerate what he described as hostile efforts to encircle the country, delivering a defiant message after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara that also touched on twin ship disasters, deepening ties with an Asian security bloc, and mounting economic pressure from the Iran-centered regional crisis.
"We will not watch from the sidelines hostile steps aimed at encircling our country in our region," Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye "will allow no one to carry out an operation" on lands he said the nation had built through sacrifice.
He said the country remained committed to its path as "an independent, stable and prosperous state" despite what he characterized as attempts to obstruct it.
Erdogan sought to frame the warning as defensive rather than confrontational, saying Türkiye holds no hostility toward any country, society, faith or culture but will continue to resist what he called illegality and tyranny "regardless of where it comes from."
He also referenced messages he said he had delivered from Malazgirt, an eastern Turkish town symbolically tied to Turkish national narratives, saying they had reached their intended audience given the reactions that followed.
He struck a broader tone of alliance-building, saying Türkiye would "shake hands with its friends, embrace its relatives and reconnect with its brothers," and framed the country's regional posture as part of a wider push for "unity and solidarity."
The Cabinet meeting also addressed two maritime accidents that have drawn national attention in recent days. Erdogan said a passenger ferry traveling from Girne to Tasucu in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus capsized around the country's Aug. 30 Victory Day observances, killing 14 people and leaving 14 others missing, while 239 people were rescued.
He said Türkiye is supporting the search effort alongside authorities in the TRNC with nine ships and 11 aircraft, and that eight crew members, including the captain, have been detained as part of an investigation opened by Northern Cypriot authorities.
Separately, he said search and rescue operations were continuing for 10 crew members of a dry cargo vessel that sank off Silivri on Sept. 2 following a collision he said appeared to have resulted from human error.
Erdogan devoted a portion of his remarks to Türkiye's relationship with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping that includes China, Russia and several Central and South Asian states and focuses on security, economic and political cooperation. He described the SCO as complementary to the United Nations and said Türkiye would keep expanding its role within it, citing a member-state population of nearly 4 billion and a combined economy approaching $35 trillion.
He said Türkiye's annual trade with SCO members is nearing $150 billion and that Ankara hopes to grow that figure "in a more balanced structure." Erdogan noted he attended the organization's leaders' summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 1 as an honorary guest, where he held talks with several heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, and where he said Türkiye's role in energy security and connectivity was highlighted.
Turning to the wider Middle East, Erdogan placed blame on Israel for the ongoing war and its regional fallout, saying its actions had undermined a June framework agreement and rendered what he called the "Islamabad accord" ineffective. "The storm of crises in our region will not subside until this radical mindset, which sees even the slightest possibility of peace as a threat, changes," he said.
On the economy, Erdogan reported that Turkish goods exports rose 8.1% in August from a year earlier to $23.5 billion, which he called a record for the month. Exports for the first eight months of 2026 climbed 4% to $185 billion, he said, with annualized exports reaching $280.3 billion, up 4.2% and leaving a $1.7 billion gap to the government's year-end target of $282 billion.
He acknowledged that Türkiye, like much of the world, is feeling inflationary pressure tied to the Iran-centered crisis, pointing to historic oil prices in numerous countries, including the United States, and what he described as unprecedented increases in diesel costs. He said prices would keep rising globally unless the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, is resolved.
Despite the pressure, Erdogan said Türkiye's economic strategy would not change, pointing to the government's newly announced Medium-Term Program as a three-year road map for strengthening agriculture, industry, tourism and high-technology production while expanding exports. "There is no change whatsoever in our policies prioritizing investment, employment, production and exports," he said, adding that the fight against inflation would continue.
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Erdogan also updated the Cabinet on preparations for the COP31 United Nations climate conference, which Türkiye will host in Antalya from Nov. 9-20 at the city's EXPO site, a 1.1 million-square-meter venue currently being renovated.
He said the state housing authority, TOKI, has completed 38 kilometers of road construction intended to ease traffic in Antalya during and after the event, and that the infrastructure investments would remain in permanent use once the summit concludes.
More than 190 countries and over 100,000 visitors are expected to attend, Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye intends to host the conference "in a manner befitting the country," comparing it to July's NATO summit.
Closing his remarks on a lighter note, Erdogan congratulated Türkiye's women's volleyball team, the "Sultans of the Net," for defeating Italy 3-2 in Sunday's final of the 2026 CEV Women's European Championship, securing the country's second consecutive European title.
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