Turkey has become the third country after the US and China to locally develop a vaccine against coronavirus, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday.
“TURKEY IS WORKING ON EIGHT DIFFERENT VACCINES”
Speaking at the opening of TUBITAK (Turkey’s Scientific and Technological Research Council) Excellence Centers in Gebze district in northwestern Kocaeli province, Erdoğan said Turkey has made great progress in developing vaccines and drugs against coronavirus in collaboration with state and private sectors and universities.
“The Coronavirus Turkey Platform, founded by TUBITAK, is currently working on eight different vaccines and 10 different medicine projects,” he added.
Trials on animals for two candidate vaccines have been completed. One of them even received ethical clearance and started its clinical phase on humans, the president further said.
While Turkey continues its fight against terrorism threats and coronavirus, it also endeavors to grow and make progress, said Erdoğan. “Our country’s technological infrastructure has become stronger with the contributions of TUBITAK’s research centers and institutes.”
“In terms of national security, being dependent on external sources in the industry is as serious as political dependence. Turkey has suffered from this for a long time,” he added. “Today, Turkey’s external dependence in the defense industry has dropped to 30% from 70%,” Erdoğan noted.
While insecurities all around the world have risen and investments have taken a hit, Turkey has continued its openings, he added. “We are hoping to make Turkey one of the leader countries of the 21st century,” stressed Erdoğan.