President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan penned an article for the Sabah newspaper titled “Türkiye için aşkla çalışmaya devam” (“Continuing to work for Türkiye with dedication”). In his article, President Erdoğan noted the following:
"We have concluded another year in which we worked for Türkiye, toiled tirelessly day and night for the country, overcame various challenges with the support of our nation, and strengthened our country. In 2025, we undertook substantial efforts across various sectors, including the economy, foreign policy, energy, the defence industry, culture and the arts, as well as environment and urban planning. In this new era, as we implement important reforms, inshallah, we will elevate the services offered to our nation to the highest standard.
Over the past year, we navigated delicate processes successfully and safeguarded Türkiye’s interests. In recent developments across our region and in addressing international issues, Türkiye has become a focal point for solutions. Türkiye has been a bastion of peace and stability amid global turmoil from wars and crises.
In Gaza, Syria, the Ukraine-Russia war, and the Somalia-Ethiopia dispute, as well as in Libya, Sudan, Iran, and the South Caucasus—essentially across all regions—Türkiye has consistently advocated for peace, stability, and tranquillity, striving to establish lasting peace. Through the peace diplomacy we have pursued and our groundbreaking initiatives, we have further reinforced our country's strength.
We have offered the utmost support to Syria to maintain its unity and safeguard its territorial integrity. Through our active involvement in the efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, we have reaffirmed to the world that we will never abandon our Palestinian brothers and sisters. As in numerous regions, Ankara has become the focal point for resolving the disputes between Somalia and Ethiopia. In all these efforts, we neither turned our back on the East nor drifted away from the West. We follow a single axis—the Türkiye Axis. In 2026, Türkiye is set to become a key country in international politics. We will steadfastly continue on our path toward full membership in the European Union. Furthermore, we will deepen our integration with the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), strengthen bonds of brotherhood within the Islamic world, and remain a resolute voice for oppressed regions.
2026 to be a year of reforms
Now, in the early months of 2026, we are not merely discussing a vision whose foundations have been laid, but the construction of a greater, stronger Türkiye with its pillars rising. 2026 will mark an era of resurgence and reform, during which we will reap the fruits of our patience, see the seeds we have sown take root and flourish, and ultimately gather the harvest, cementing Türkiye’s position as an undeniable actor on the global stage.
The national income surpasses 1.5 trillion dollars
Türkiye’s economy sustained growth in 2025, despite regional conflicts and crises, as well as global economic challenges, guided by our strategy centred on investment, production, employment, and exports. Among OECD countries, we became the third fastest-growing economy. On an annual basis, national income surpassed 1.5 trillion dollars for the first time. For the first time in our history, Central Bank reserves have surpassed the 200 billion dollar mark. During our time in office, Central Bank reserves have reached 215.6 billion dollars.
The support for exporters to be sustained
We remain committed to supporting exporters of goods and services in 2026 by increasing the sources allocated to them. In 2025, annual goods exports reached 273.4 billion dollars, marking a historic record for the Republic. To counter the effects of global inflation and supply chain disruptions, we have implemented a determined and disciplined programme with our economic authorities over the past two years.
We will curb inflation
2026 will mark the year in which we decisively curb inflation and advance steadfastly toward our single-digit target. Furthermore, we will increase the purchasing power of our workers, retirees, and civil servants, not merely according to the inflation rate but also by allocating a portion of the benefits of economic growth. Ensuring fairness in income distribution is one of our most important goals for 2026. With the stabilisation of interest rates and the exchange rate, we will once again make Türkiye an attractive hub for foreign direct investments. Through our high-tech-based industrial initiative, we will fully create opportunities for skilled employment for our youth.
We will deliver results without engaging in polemics
The pain of the February 6 earthquakes remains etched in our hearts. We have spared no effort in mending the wounds. With the Solidarity of the Century and widespread mobilisation, we were able to overcome the Disaster of the Century. Most recently, on December 27, we handed over the keys to the 455,000th post-disaster housing unit, completed across 11 of our provinces. By fulfilling our promises to the nation, we have delivered a total of 455,357 independent units to our disaster-affected brothers and sisters across 11 provinces. We kept our word; we restored our cities.
In 2026, we will keep building safe and peaceful living spaces for our nation. In our politics, a "promise" of action equates to a guarantee of "delivery". The best indicator of our achievements by 2026 is the projects and initiatives we have implemented for our country since assuming power. 2026 will stand out as the brightest year of the Century of Türkiye and will see the most remarkable strides of the nation’s great march.
May we have a prosperous journey ahead.
The era of mass production in the defense industry
We are advancing toward our goal of a fully independent Türkiye in the defence industry. Today, Türkiye manufactures technologies that were denied to us for years, using entirely domestic and national capabilities at the highest quality, and exports them to friendly and allied countries. Through the measures we have implemented, we have raised the domestic production rate in the defence industry from approximately 20% to over 80%. In 2026, the prototype phase in our defence sector will conclude, giving way to mass production and inventory accumulation. Numerous defence industry projects, particularly our air defence systems, national aircraft, tanks, UAV/UCAV systems, radar and electronic warfare systems, are progressing smoothly. We will proudly declare the integration of these systems into our army’s inventory. This year, our technologies aimed at enhancing border security beyond our borders will have a stronger presence on the ground. Our UAV-UCAV technologies, admired worldwide, will continue to stand out. We will experience similar moments of pride, such as our unmanned combat aircraft, Kızılelma, successfully hitting a target using radar and missiles produced domestically. Additionally, our "Steel Dome", for which 47 air defence components were delivered in 2025, is also gaining strength. We will continue to strengthen our presence across the air, land, sea, space, cyber homeland, and everywhere else.
Our dependence on foreign energy is decreasing
2026 will likewise bring new positive developments in the energy sector. Reliance on foreign energy has been the greatest barrier to our independence.
We have raised our daily oil production in Gabar from 70,000 barrels to 81,000 barrels. Our daily oil production, combining domestic and international output, has reached 180,000 barrels. With the Black Sea gas and Gabar oil, we have lit a torch that, inshallah, we will turn into a massive flame in 2026. The countdown continues at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which will take our country to the next level via nuclear energy. We intend to apply nuclear energy not only for electricity generation but also across sectors, including medicine, agriculture, research, and industrial heating. We are further refining the policies we have implemented to provide our country with affordable, high-quality, and uninterrupted energy, while continuing our strategic initiatives. We are implementing measures to secure our country’s energy supply, positioned at the crossroads of all energy corridors, from Russia to the Caspian and from the Middle East to the Mediterranean.
We will free our country from a four-decade-long scourge
We have crossed key thresholds in the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process. As the People's Alliance, we have consistently engaged in this process with a constructive approach. We focused on solutions and did not just lend a hand—we put our full effort into it. The National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Committee, attentively hearing all relevant parties, is expected to soon finalise its report, which we believe will infuse new momentum into the process. This process, designed to free our country from a four-decade-long scourge, will not be sacrificed to the interests of day-to-day politics. We will take all necessary measures to ensure the process achieves its goal without any setbacks.