President Erdoğan spoke at the "19 May Youth Meeting"
Addressing a meeting with youths and national athletes, President Erdoğan said: “May 19 symbolizes liberation against slavery, hope against intimidation, and our nation’s determination to live freely and independently against surrender.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with youths and national athletes on the occasion of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.
In a speech at the event, President Erdoğan described the youth as the vanguards of Türkiye’s struggle for future and independence, and said: “Youths who closed an era and opened a new one by conquering Istanbul at the age of 21 have led this nation from victory to victory, success to success throughout history.”
“MAY 19 SHOULD BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR OUR YOUTH”
Noting that hidden heroes of the great victory, which made the entire world acknowledge ‘Çanakkale is impassable,’ were actually the youth, President Erdoğan said: “Youths were also the frontline soldiers of the national struggle, the first step of which was taken in Samsun on May 19, 1919. The torch of independence, ignited by Gazi Mustafa Kemal on May 19, spread across Anatolia on the youth’s shoulders, won over all hearts, and reached victory through the youth’s altruism and dedication.”
“May 19 symbolizes liberation against slavery, hope against intimidation, and our nation’s determination to live freely and independently against surrender,” the President underlined. “May 19 not only started the National Struggle, but also heralded the establishment of our last state, the Republic of Türkiye, and the liberation of our nation. I hereby pray for Allah’s mercy upon all our martyrs, who ran to martyrdom without blinking an eye for the sake of our future and independence throughout centuries. I gratefully remember all our ghazis who were wounded while fighting for the same noble cause. I once again respectfully remember Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Commander-in-Chief of the Independence War, and his comrades-in-arms, as well as all members of our heroic army, the apple of our nation’s eye.”
It is not a coincidence that May 19, a turning point in our history, is a festival of the youth, stated President Erdoğan, and added: “May 19 should be a source of inspiration and hope for you, the youth. We are pleased to see that our youth are at the forefront of every issue concerning our nation, as has been the case throughout our thousand-year history. Our youth play a central role in our country’s endeavors for development, progress and economic growth, as well.”
