Türkiye is reshaping its defence planning around the possibility of a broader regional conflict while seeking to expand its military presence abroad, according to a report by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
The report says the Turkish Ministry of National Defence has adopted a strategy built on two main pillars.
The first involves preparing the Turkish armed forces for the possibility of a large-scale war amid growing regional instability. The second focuses on expanding Ankara's military presence beyond its borders.
According to Hurriyet, Türkiye is considering extending its military footprint following the establishment of military facilities in Libya, Syria, Qatar and Iraq.
The report says potential future locations include Saudi Arabia, followed by countries in Africa and Asia.
Regional concerns over Israel
At the same time, remarks from Tehran have highlighted concerns among several regional powers about Israel's future military strategy.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan had held discussions with Iranian leaders regarding regional security developments.
According to Rezaei, a shared concern is the possibility of an expansion of Israeli military operations beyond their current scope.
He further claimed that Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman had expressed the view that, after Iran, Israel could turn its attention to Türkiye and later Saudi Arabia.
AK Party criticism of Mitsotakis
Against that backdrop, Ayhan Gider, an MP from Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), criticised Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the presentation at the United Nations of a map challenging Turkish claims in the Mediterranean and the Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum.
Gider argued that the key issue facing the Greek government was not the prospect of military confrontation with Türkiye but its relationship with Israel.
He also dismissed discussion of a potential Greek-Turkish war, insisting that Ankara would not limit its activities in the Mediterranean because of Greek objections.
The Turkish MP further claimed that Greek society does not favour military confrontation with Türkiye and called on Mitsotakis to take public sentiment into account.
Source: Hurriyet
