The laying of the foundation stone on August 30, in conjunction with the National Independence Day. The structure will cover an area of nearly 13 square kilometers. Completion scheduled for 2023, the year of the next presidential elections. For the Turkish leader, the structure will "strike fear in our enemies."
Istanbul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Turkish government, on the directive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has started the construction of a giant military complex that will house the employees of the Defense, pompously renamed "the Turkish Pentagon". According to Nikkei Asia reports, at the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone, which was held on August 30, the "sultan" stressed that the new facility - for now tentatively referred to as "the Crescent Star" - will serve to "instill terror" in Turkey's enemies.
In his speech, Erdogan explained that the complex will cover an area of about 12.5 square kilometers (135.6 million square feet, including 9.5 million indoor area) and will house inside it up to 15 thousand defense staff members. To make a comparison, the "original" US Pentagon has 6.5 million square feet of office space and the entire surface of the Capitol (the US Parliament) could fit into one of the five wedges that make up the structure.
According to the images published so far, the Turkish "Crescent Star" complex shows a ring structure similar to the Pentagon. but modeled at the same time on the national flag. The Daily Sabah points out that a giant star-shaped building is expected to serve as the exhibition area and entrance to the complex, while another vast crescent-shaped building wraps around an entire outdoor area for official ceremonies.
Scheduled for completion by May 2023 - the year the presidential election will also be held - the building will be reserved for members of the Army and Defense Ministry personnel. "In this place," Erdogan said, "we will establish a facility that will instill fear in our enemies due to its location and will be able to give confidence to our friends at the same time.
The ceremony took place on August 30 to coincide with Turkey's national holiday, which celebrates the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, among the main moments of the war of independence in the 1920s. This is one of the dates with the highest symbolic value for the whole country and used as a propaganda opportunity to strengthen identity and patriotic sentiment.
The Crescent Star Complex is modeled on the model of the Pentagon is just the latest initiative of Sultan Erdogan to strengthen Turkey's military power, with a view to internal propaganda to increase its popularity in view of the 2023 elections. Conversely, the country and the vast majority of its citizens are facing rising inflation, environmental disasters, and fires. Ankara has long focused on the local production of weapons and war equipment, developing drones to rival the U.S. attack drone Reaper, combined with the production, design and construction of its own warships.
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