ISTANBUL 

Visiting Anadolu's stand at Türkiye's premier technology event TEKNOFEST's maritime edition on Thursday, the news agency's chairman and CEO Serdar Karagoz said it will continue to showcase the country's strength to the world.

Speaking at the TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, Karagoz said the event sends a message to the country's youth, and emphasized that Türkiye is a country surrounded by seas on three sides.

TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, a four-day event that began on Thursday, is being held at the Istanbul Shipyard Command, with Anadolu serving as its global communications partner.

He asked whether Türkiye is capable of protecting its “blue homeland” when compared to the naval forces of the world's most powerful armies, adding that TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland gives the Turkish nation the opportunity to see exactly that.

Pointing out that thousands of children may have seen a ship for the first time at the event, he said: "Maybe they entered a submarine for the first time, saw a warship. These are very valuable gains. We saw how strong our country is in this sense. We saw our country's potential."

The "blue homeland" is an ideal that the country must protect and never compromise on, Karagoz stressed.

"If we make even the slightest concession on the ‘blue homeland,’ our land borders will also be under great threat," he added.

The head of Anadolu emphasized that the “blue homeland” will be protected through technological advances. "We will protect it by producing and using the highest technology. The people we call the TEKNOFEST generation comes into play precisely at this point."

Technology support for the country's soldiers and army will come from the TEKNOFEST generation, he said.

He said young people in schools see the technologies at TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, contemplate how these technologies can be advanced through civil engineering and technology engineering, and receive training in that field.

“Thankfully, today our army is equipped with the highest technology. On land, in the air, and at sea,” said Karagoz.

He recalled that Savarona yacht, the spiritual legacy of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk that has been renovated, was present at TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland.

Noting that the Savarona yacht is placed next to the TCG Anadolu - Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrier - at the event, he said: “On one side is our past, on the other side is our future.”

He said the TCG Anadolu is a ship with capabilities that very few countries in the world possess today, adding: "And there is more to come. Our national aircraft carrier is coming.

"Currently, our fighter jets and unmanned combat aircraft can take off and land on the TCG Anadolu."

This is an event that inspires confidence in friends and fear in enemies, he said. "As a son of this country, I am very proud and very happy that we have these capabilities."