The Ministry of National Defense held its weekly press briefing. The Gaza ceasefire was on the agenda. Regarding the Gaza Task Force, which came to the fore following the ceasefire in Gaza, the Ministry stated,"With the experience gained from previous peacekeeping missions, the Turkish Armed Forces are ready to undertake any task entrusted to them in establishing and maintaining peace within the framework of international law."

The Ministry of National Defense held its weekly press briefing. Speaking at the press briefing held at the Martyr Journalist Hasan Tahsin Press Information Hall, Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, outlined the latest developments. Assessing the ceasefire in Gaza, Aktürk said,"We believe that the agreement is an important step towards establishing lasting peace in the region. We hope that this development will be a beginning that will open the door to a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace, and ultimately contribute to the goal of a two-state solution."

Aktürk stated that Türkiye continues to fight terrorism and take effective measures for border security with determination for its survival and security, saying, “As part of our Turkish Armed Forces’ fight against risks and threats to our country, one more PKK terrorist surrendered in the last week, and the length of tunnels destroyed in Syrian operation areas has reached 672 kilometers. Meanwhile, 272 individuals attempting to cross our borders illegally were apprehended, and 1,020 were prevented from crossing. Thus, since January 1st, the number of people apprehended while attempting to cross our border illegally has reached 7,743, and the number of people prevented has reached 53,892. Furthermore, a total of 94 kilograms of narcotics were seized during search and screening operations conducted along the Iğdır, Hakkari, and Van borders.”

Aktürk stated that they continue to work to further increase the Turkish Armed Forces' advanced technology equipment and deterrent power, and continued:

Our Land Forces Command has completed the inspection and acceptance activities of various sensor, reconnaissance, radar, and command vehicle units and added them to the inventory. Within the scope of the studies carried out regarding the procurement of 12 C-130J aircraft from the United Kingdom to meet the operational needs of our Air Force Command, the aforementioned aircraft have been delivered to the relevant company for maintenance and modernization. Following the completion of their maintenance and modernization in the United Kingdom within the scope of the signed contract, the aircraft in question will be gradually added to the inventory of our Air Force. Furthermore, the maintenance and sustainment of the C-130J aircraft will be carried out with domestic and national resources following Type Training training.

"IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE SDF TO INTEGRATE WITH THE SYRIAN ARMY"

Following Rear Admiral Aktürk's briefing, Ministry of National Defense sources answered journalists' questions about current events.

"The integration of the SDF terrorist organization into the Syrian army is of critical importance"

Ministry of National Defense sources, in response to questions about the trilateral meeting held with the Syrian delegation in Ankara on October 12 and the integration of the terrorist organization SDF into the Syrian army, said the following:

As you know, the new Syrian government continues its diligent efforts to restructure and establish stability and security in the country with all its institutions and units. In this context, we continue our efforts to increase our coordination and cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Defense to increase Syria's security capacity and contribute to the establishment of stability and security by clearing the region of terrorism. During the three-way meeting held in Ankara on October 12, discussions were held on steps to increase Syria's capacity building and enhance cooperation with Syria. We are determined to support the principle of 'one state, one army' for Syria's stability and security. In this context, the integration of the SDF terrorist organization into the Syrian army is of critical importance. As Turkey, we are conducting the necessary coordination with our counterparts on this matter and are closely monitoring the process.