Turkish President Erdogan marks Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day
'We are protecting homeland, Republic and we are taking steps to advance, elevate Republic of Türkiye, which will endure forever, in every field,' says Recep Tayyip Erdogan

ISTANBUL
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday marked the commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day.
In a message shared by Türkiye's Communications Directorate on X, Erdogan underscored the historical significance of May 19, marking the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, in 1919.
"We are protecting the homeland and the Republic—sacred legacies entrusted to us by our ancestors—and we are taking steps to advance and elevate the Republic of Türkiye, which will endure forever, in every field," the Turkish president stated.
Erdogan emphasized that he sees Turkish youth not only as the architects of the future, but also as a driving force of change, saying he "truly" believes that with their energy, determination, and dreams—carrying the legacy of "our civilization in their hearts"—the Turkish youth will leave a defining mark "on our era as the 'Century of Türkiye.'"
In the construction of Türkiye's future, "we solve and permanently eliminate" any problem that will waste the energy of Turkish youth and the country's resources with "fruitless discussions," he said.
"We work with all our might to fulfill our promise to leave our youth a peaceful and serene, high-tech, and prosperous country.
"We offer opportunities for our youth to discover their potential in every field, from science to art, sports to agriculture, diplomacy to nuclear technologies, and we walk hand in hand and arm in arm with our youth to realize our ideal of a great and powerful Türkiye," the president noted.
He said that they will continue to support all Turkish youth who work tirelessly to achieve their goals, never give up, and want to further glorify the civilizational heritage they inherited from their forefathers.
The Turkish president stated that they will always maintain their determination to work harder and achieve more for the Turkish youth by crediting them for every success of Türkiye, "which has become a central country as it grows stronger and has strengthened its position with the steps we have taken."
Erdogan also commemorated "all the heroes of our War of Independence, Gazi Mustafa Kemal in particular."
May 19, 1919, was the day when Ataturk, who was later the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, arrived in the Black Sea city of Samsun from Istanbul to launch the war that four years later transformed the nation into modern Türkiye.
In 1938, Ataturk dedicated May 19 to the youth of the Turkish nation as Youth and Sports Day -- a national holiday that sees young people take part in sporting and cultural activities with official ceremonies across the country.
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