Turkish president greets ships passing through Istanbul Strait

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday greeted distinguished ships of the Turkish Navy passing through the Istanbul Strait.

Türkiye's indigenously-developed and largest warship TCG Anadolu, the TCG Savarona, which is a legacy of the founder of the Republic of Türkiye Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as well as the TCG Orucreis, TCG Istanbul, TCG Heybeliada, TCG Kalkan, TCG Alanya, TCG Sancaktar, and the TCG Hizirreis submarine, all transited the strait as part of the TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland parade.

The parade, which began at Istanbul's Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, was followed by citizens traveling through Sariyer district center, Tarabya, Emirgan, Kanlica, Rumeli Hisari, the Kandilli-Bebek line, Ortakoy, and the July 15 Martyrs Bridge.

Many citizens recorded the parade on their mobile phones and shared the photos on NSosyal using the hashtag #TeknofestMaviVatan (Teknofest Blue Homeland).

Erdogan observed the ceremony, which was held with the participation of the ships, from Dolmabahce Working Office.

The military crews on the ships saluted the Turkish president with a 21-gun salute and a traditional special maritime salute.

Watching the ships from the open area of ​​his office, Erdogan waved to the crew and the citizens on board for the ceremony.

“Blue Homeland journey with our strong and powerful navy during our Victory Week, etched in history in golden letters," Erdogan later said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.