Erdogan invokes 'Blue Motherland' rhetoric, repeats claims

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday referred once again to the notion of a Blue Motherland - a term coined by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar when referring to a 462,000 square meter area in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black seas, declaring that Turkey will defend its rights and indicating that it might boost its military fleet.

"Today, as one of the 10 countries that can design, construct and maintain war ships, we will continue to boost our naval forces and protect the Blue Motherland in order to boost the sense of trust with our allies while continuing to defend our interests," Erdogan said.

Invoking an expression of his "forefathers" according to which, if you want peace you prepare for war, Erdogan said that Turkey was equipping its navy and military units in a bid "to safeguard peace and security in our country, our region and the whole...