Erdoğan met with youth at 'Vahdettin' Pavilion on May 19: 'The TEKNOFEST generation is coming on strong'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with youth representatives and national athletes at the "May 19 Youth Meeting" held at the Vahdettin Pavilion on the occasion of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

Starting his speech by greeting the youth and athletes, Erdoğan said, "I send my love and respects from here to all my young brothers and sisters, whom I see as the guarantee of our bright future in your persons. The happiness of being with you on the occasion of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, and sharing your excitement, cannot truly be expressed in words."

Stating that among those representing Turkish youth today are not only national athletes but also young people who are a source of pride with their achievements in politics, science, music, and working life, Erdoğan said, "I thank each of you for the happiness you bring to our country, our nation, and your families. I pray that the Lord makes your successes permanent and keeps you from harm."

President Erdoğan explained that as a nation, they have been in a struggle on these lands where they have lived since the Battle of Malazgirt, when the gates of Anatolia were opened, and that this struggle was first waged to make Anatolia a homeland, and then to protect it as an eternal and everlasting home.

"MAY 19 IS THE SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AGAINST CAPTIVITY"

Emphasizing that the soldiers of Turkey's struggle for independence and future have always been the youth, Erdoğan continued his speech as follows:

"Young people, who opened and closed eras by conquering Istanbul at the age of 21, have led this nation from victory to victory and success to success throughout history. The secret heroes of that great epic where we made the whole world say 'Gallipoli is impassable' consisted of young people. Young people were also the soldiers on the front lines of the National Struggle, the first step of which was taken in Samsun on May 19, 1919. The torch of independence, which Gazi Mustafa Kemal ignited on May 19, spread to Anatolia on the shoulders of the youth, embraced all hearts, and reached victory with the sacrifice and ownership of the youth again. May 19 is the symbol of freedom against captivity, hope against despair, and our nation's determination to live free and independent against surrender. May 19 did not just start the National Struggle; it turned into the founding struggle of our last state, the Republic of Turkey, and the liberation struggle of our nation."

"GAZI" INSTEAD OF ATATÜRK

Taking this opportunity to wish God's mercy upon all the martyrs who rushed to martyrdom without blinking for the sake of independence and the future for centuries, Erdoğan said, "I commemorate our veterans who were wounded while fighting for the same noble cause with gratitude. I once again respectfully commemorate the Commander-in-Chief of our War of Independence, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his comrades-in-arms, and all members of our heroic army, which is the apple of our nation's eye."

TEKNOFEST GENERATION

Pointing out that it is certainly no coincidence that May 19, which constitutes a turning point in history, is the holiday of the youth, President Erdoğan noted the following:

"The date of May 19 has been a source of inspiration and hope for you, our youth. Just as in our thousand-year history, we are pleased to see that our youth are taking their place at the forefront of every issue of our nation today. Our youth also have an important place at the center of our country's efforts for development, progress, and economic growth. Most of our soldiers keeping watch with their fingers on the trigger at the border, and our police and gendarmes serving at stations, consist of young people of your age. Our young engineers have their signatures and labor under many projects that are a source of pride in the defense industry. For example, young people are taking on leading roles in the development of our national combat aircraft KAAN and the production of our manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. Our youth are coming to the fore more in science, art, media, and especially in sports in recent times, and are making themselves talked about more. Our youth are taking on more responsibility in the country's political and bureaucratic decision-making mechanisms. We have more young friends in parliament, municipal councils, and municipal administrations compared to the past. The TEKNOFEST generation, which is the guarantee of our future, is truly coming on strong in every field of life. I would like to specifically state that we are proud of this and of your achievements. I have no doubt that each of you will continue to be a source of pride for us, our nation, and your families for many years to come."

AGE OF ELIGIBILITY

In his speech here, Erdoğan stated that they opened the doors of politics, bureaucracy, and the business world to the youth by lowering the age of eligibility for election first from 30 to 25, and then to 18, and said that they have made the largest investments in history in the education of the youth.

Emphasizing that they have mobilized all means for them to realize their dreams by providing suitable environments and opportunities and supporting the youth in every field, Erdoğan spoke as follows:

"Dear youth, we are pleased that Turkey, whose star is shining brighter in its region and in the world, is constantly raising the bar of success in sports as well. Moving beyond the branches where we are traditionally strong, we have started to take the podium and even dominate the podium in new sports branches. Our athletes no longer return from the competitions they participate in without medals. Our athletes also win appreciation for their sportsmanship alongside their achievements. We are experiencing the joy of seeing that the investments we have made in sports infrastructure across the country in the last 21 years, the facilities we have built, and the support we have given to our athletes have not gone to waste."

"WE ARE PROTECTING SPORTS AND ATHLETES"

Expressing that as the international successes of athletes increase, young people are turning more to sports and starting to see sports as a career, President Erdoğan continued as follows:

"While our total number of licensed athletes was 278 thousand in 2002, it has risen to 15 million 550 thousand today. While the number of medals we received in all sports branches in 2002 was 1,481, this figure rose to 7 thousand 404 as of the end of 2023. Our number of coaches increased from 18 thousand 674 to 321 thousand, and our number of sports clubs increased from 6 thousand 35 to 25 thousand 78. We have 1,382 athletes in Turkey's Olympic preparation centers. In the last 7 years, we have looked at the talents of 7 million 706 thousand of our children through athlete talent screening and provided guidance accordingly. With the national athlete scholarship introduced in 2021, we also support our successful athletes in their academic journeys. We are protecting sports and athletes with many other works that we cannot count one by one here."

Noting that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were a great source of motivation for them to do more, Erdoğan said, "We participated in both sports events with the highest number of athletes in our history. Our athletes gave our nation great joy with the total of 28 medals they won in Tokyo. They continued the momentum and spirit captured at the Olympics afterwards."

President Erdoğan said that they received good news in karate, archery, taekwondo, and some other sports branches last week, and congratulated all athletes once again.

PARIS OLYMPICS

Reminding that the 2024 Paris Olympics are ahead, Erdoğan noted the following:

"I hope we will add new stars to our success table in Paris. I trust our athletes in this regard. I am waiting for good news from you that will make us proud again. I would like to remind each young brother and sister here of this again. You are the children of a great nation whose history is full of glorious victories. You are Turkey's greatest strength and our nation's greatest hope. I wholeheartedly believe that you will work very hard to lead our country to its bright ideals. I pray that the Lord makes our path and fortune clear. With these feelings, I thank each of you individually for the pride and happiness you have given us."

Conveying his wishes for a future full of hope, peace, and tranquility to the participants, President Erdoğan said, "I congratulate you on the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, and I celebrate the holiday of all the youth of our country in your person."