"Secret meeting at the Külliye for the 'Red Book'"

Upon the instruction of President Erdoğan, the General Secretariat of the National Security Council has taken action to update the National Security Policy Document. Due to its confidentiality, the document, also known to the public as the "Red Book," has had opinions requested from ministries and relevant organizations in the first months of this year for its update.

Based on the information gathered from ministries and relevant organizations, studies were conducted. A "secret" meeting was held at the General Secretariat of the National Security Council at the beginning of this month to complete the studies. In the meeting chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, the planned regulations on the "Red Book" were discussed in detail.

MOBILE PHONES AND SMART WATCHES WERE NOT COLLECTED

After the meeting, where participants' mobile phones and smart watches were not collected and security measures were at a high level, the work on updating the book has reached its final stages. Following the studies, it is expected that the issue will be addressed at the first National Security Council meeting to be held under the chairmanship of President Erdoğan. The National Security Policy Document serves as a document that outlines the state's perceptions of internal and external threats item by item. The document is updated periodically in National Security Council meetings according to changes in threats.

LAST UPDATE WAS MADE IN SEPTEMBER 2019

In order to ensure national security and achieve national goals, the National Security Policy Document, which encompasses the principles of internal, external, and defense strategies determined by the National Security Council, was last discussed at the National Security Council meeting held under the chairmanship of President Erdoğan on September 30, 2019. In the statement made after the meeting, it was noted that "The National Security Policy Document, prepared by evaluating all aspects of the effects of developments occurring in our country, our region, and the world on our national security, was discussed and found appropriate."

On the other hand, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz made statements regarding this issue in response to a question during the discussions of the Presidency's 2025 budget in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Describing the National Security Policy Document as a very comprehensive and high-quality document, Yılmaz stated, "We will formalize this with the decision of our National Security Council. It is likely that this document will be discussed and formalized in the upcoming National Security Council, guiding the work of our institutions. We expect our new National Security Policy Document to be implemented in 2025."