ANKARA

Türkiye continues to act to prevent the destruction of nature, the country's president said on Sunday.

"As Türkiye, we have taken and continue to take steps with the sensitivity that our civilization has taught us to prevent the destruction of nature and to sensitize our relationship with nature," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Erdogan went on to say: "We accelerated our structural transformations both with legislative changes and concrete projects in line with the green development revolution."

Stressing the importance of every step towards protecting nature for the future of humanity, he stated: "We have always supported environmentally friendly approaches, pioneered the construction of more livable cities, and ensured energy diversity by prioritizing renewable energy."

Adding that the largest afforestation campaign in Türkiye's history was being conducted to increase the country's forest cover, Erdogan said that, in line with the goal to establish 81 million square meters of gardens across the nation's 81 provinces, a total of 450 projects have been undertaken.

"We have demonstrated our sincerity in protecting nature by declaring our 2053 Net Zero Emission target to the world," he also noted.

Organized by the UN Environment Program, World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 in over 100 countries to encourage global awareness and action for the protection of the environment.