-VICE ADMIRAL ALPKAYA: ''SEPARATIST AND FUNDAMENTALIST ACTIVITIES THREATENING INSEPARABLE INTEGRITY OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS SECULAR AND DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURE UNFORTUNATELY CONTINUE ON THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF REPUBLIC''
ANKARA - Vice Admiral Bulent Alpkaya, the Naval Forces commander, handed over his mission to Vice Admiral Ozden Ornek in a ceremony in which President Ahmet Necdet Sezer participated.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Admiral Alpkaya said Ataturk's principles and reforms and secular and democratic framework of the Republic have been a guide to him throughout this assignment, stating that protection of secular and democratic Turkish Republic has been his target.
Vice Admiral Alpkaya said, ''unfortunately, domestic and foreign separatist and fundamentalist activities threaten inseparable integrity of our country, and secular and democratic structure of our Republic on the 80th anniversary of Republic. The Naval Forces, which is an inseparable part of the Turkish Armed Forces, will continue to carry out its fight against fundamentalist and separatist activities determined in constitution and laws.''
Vice Admiral Alpkaya said Turkish Naval Forces represented in national and international assignments, noting it participated in 66 military exercises in the past two years.
Pointing out that they worked in coordination with Coastal Security Command and covered suspicious ships in the Aegean, Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and that safety of oil and natural gas ships, carrying hazardous substance, was provided. He said Turkish Naval Forces expended support to naval forces of many countries apart from the activities carried out with NATO and regional countries.
Alpkaya said the need to market oil and natural gas of Middle East and Caucasus increased the importance of harbors, stating that, ''those assignments oblige us to have a more deterring Naval Forces.''
(AY) 28.08.2003