Türkiye 'Has No Choice' But to Be Powerful, Erdogan Says in Terror-Free Push

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye “has no choice” but to remain strong and united, vowing to turn the region into “a land of peace and well-being once again.” Speaking on Thursday, Erdogan stressed his government’s determination to achieve a “Terror-Free Türkiye” and a terror-free region. He did not specify new military steps but framed the goal as a national necessity. “We have no choice but to be powerful and united,” Erdogan said, according to a statement from his office. He added that Ankara remains committed to eliminating threats at their source, both at home and across its borders. The remarks come amid ongoing Turkish operations against Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq and Syria. Ankara designates the PKK and its affiliates as terrorist organizations. Erdogan did not provide a timeline for the initiative but repeated that stability in the region depends on removing terrorist elements. “We are determined to make this geography a land of peace and well-being once again,” he said.