Ankara, Aug 31 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted the importance of increasing military deterrence for Turkey to build itself into a powerful country. He made the remarks on Wednesday at a ceremony to celebrate August 30 Victory Day at the Army War College in Ankara, Xinhua news agency reported. Erdogan stressed that ensuring military deterrence is a necessity for Turkey rather than a choice. The President said that Turkey has been elevated to the "top league" in terms of military capabilities, noting that the country has taken "many historical steps" to strengthen the military. In a separate statement, he vowed to further strengthen the country's national power with forthcoming government-proposed initiatives. Turkey celebrates Victory Day to mark the decisive victory of the country's independence war on August 30, 1922, which led to the foundation of the Republic of Turkey a year later. /IANS