'Turkey has never been expansionist or interventionist'

By Enes Kaplan, Merve Yildizalp, and Ferdi Turkten

SARAJEVO, Bosnia - Herzegovina (AA) - Turkey has never looked to expand or intervene outside its borders, said the nation’s president on Monday.

"I would like to underline that the Republic of Turkey has never acted with an expansionist or interventionist perspective,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at Butmir Military Base in Sarajevo.

“As we always say, we have no eyes on the land, sovereignty, internal affairs of anybody, no country," he added, visiting the National Support Union Command of the Turkish Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the European Union Peace Force.

"We are only trying to guarantee our own national security, the security of life and property of our citizens," he said.

Erdogan also hailed Turkish soldiers, saying Turkey places special importance on peace and safety in Bosnia.

"I would like to thank each and every one of you for [carrying out] your duties on behalf of the country and nation,” he said.

Erdogan also stressed that Turkey does not have the luxury to just sit and watch developments in Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus, the Balkans, or Central Asia, as events there affect Turkey both directly and indirectly.

Erdogan is on a two-day working visit to Bosnia's capital Sarajevo. On Tuesda,y he is expected to deliver a speech at the Summit of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

* Writing by Talha Ozturk