Yes, our esteemed youth, our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has honored us with his presence at our Samsun Youth Meeting program. We bid a warm welcome to our President. Mr. President, our esteemed youth, our dear friends. In our city of Samsun, the city of youth and the future, we are experiencing the excitement and happiness of coming together with our youth from Samsun and surrounding provinces, who have honored us with the attendance of our President. We welcome you all to our Samsun Youth Meeting. Our dear young friends, our valued guests. Now, we offer the microphone to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan , to deliver his speech. Please, Mr. President. Dear youth, Valued children of our Samsun, my high school and university brothers and sisters who joined our meeting from surrounding provinces, I greet you all with my deepest feelings and love. I am very pleased to be with you in Samsun, the gateway to the Black Sea, the first city where we ignited the torch of independence. Of course, we have experienced and are experiencing a truly meaningful day in Samsun for us today. In Samsun, where we have come to open our city hospital, we are holding another one of our youth meetings together with you. As in every youth meeting, today we will talk about Turkey, the world, and our future with you. I want to state this right at the beginning of my remarks. The march for independence that started in Samsun 107 years ago, thank God, continues today in the direction of a great and powerful Turkey. Look, right behind us, two powerful symbols of this route extending from independence to the future are joining us. On one side is the Bandirma Ferry, and right next to it, the TCG Anadolu ship. This route, which started with the Bandirma Ferry and continues with the TCG Anadolu, is also a sign of where Turkey has come from and where it is going. Thank God, until today, we have succeeded in bringing Turkey to a safe shore in stormy seas. In a difficult period when our geography is struggling with crises , wars, and conflicts, we have kept our nation away from these dangers. We have achieved historic successes and historic victories for our country in many fields. Tomorrow, you will take over the captain's bridge of Turkey. In addition to 86 million, you will also take on the trust of hundreds of millions of oppressed people who have pinned their hopes on Turkey. I believe that with the awareness of this responsibility you carry, you will serve our country and nation in the best way and will take Turkey to much better places in every field. Dear youth, youth is a link of continuity and survival. It is the most critical human resource that carries the past to the future. We have always believed in this. Youth must, above all, have a sublime cause they believe in and follow. This cause should not be based on fleeting daily whims, but on a powerful ideal that encompasses centuries. In the words of the late Cemil Meric, this cause is to reconquer our wisdom. The cause is to open the treasures of our ancestors ' contemplation, especially to the curiosity of today's generations—that is, their desire to see and understand —in a word, to connect today to yesterday. Yes. Personally, both in our political life spanning over half a century and in the AK Party's quarter-century journey, we have always strived to walk with the youth and support the cause of the youth. Remember, putting the youth at the center of politics is a matter of will. We said so, and we did what was necessary for it. What did we do? We paved the way for youth in politics by lowering the age of eligibility to be elected from 30 to 18. From the private sector to education and sports, from public administration to culture, art, and civil society, we have provided all kinds of support to the youth. How can we win over one more of our young people? We have stood by you at every opportunity, asking ourselves how we can include one more of our youth in this nation's march toward independence . We have always kept this in the back of our minds. In the past, they divided the children of this nation by calling them right-wing, left-wing, progressive , reactionary, Alevi, or Sunni. They knew no bounds in wasting the generations that would lift Turkey up. Look, dear young people, yesterday was the 46th anniversary of the September 12th coup. In those dark days, young people were subjected to torture. There were also young people from Samsun among those who were tortured. They were executed on gallows. The lives of hundreds of thousands of young people were turned into dungeons. Their future was taken from their hands. Mothers and fathers sacrificed their "hennaed lambs ," whom they raised like the apple of their eye and cherished for years, to the tutelage seekers. Our entire purpose is to ensure that these bad days are never experienced again. That is why we meet with our youth frequently and consult with them. We update ourselves in line with your ideas, demands, and needs. In December, as part of the Youth Meetings Campus program, we met with our youth from all 81 provinces and 207 universities in Istanbul. Again, in May, we came together with over 100,000 young people from all four corners of Turkey at a youth festival in Kocaeli. And now, we are with you on the 105th anniversary of the victory of the Battle of Sakarya . Of course, those who see the youth as a pool of votes to be exploited, those who use youth as a tool for their personal ambitions, are disturbed by this. Let them be. We have never paid them any mind. And we will not pay them any mind from now on. We will continue to embrace the youth and walk side-by-side with them. I pray that the Almighty makes our path clear. I thank you, my brothers and sisters, for honoring our meeting, and I congratulate those who contributed to the program, and now I leave the floor to you. Sir, we also offer our thanks and respects to our President for his speech. Mr. President, as in our previous meetings, today we will both sing songs with our youth and, if you allow, take questions from our youth. But first, we have a video prepared by our youth branches. We are watching our video together. Did you think the final stone of this honor would fall? Not unless the last soldier going to war is martyred. If this doomsday scene before us were to go mad, go wild, if the seas rained down armies and clouds rained down navies, if all the volcanoes underneath this land were to erupt and cover it in red, isn't there faith in the heart of our front, isn't there one joy, one pain, one same purpose, isn't there one heart beating in the middle that will not yield? Even if the world collapses, rest assured, this front will not waver. In this country, there is a generation whose heads are in prostration, who respect their nation, and are passionately attached to their homeland. A generation that knows where they come from, where they are going, whose feet are firmly planted on their native soil , who are self-sacrificing, long-suffering, educated, equipped, honest, and moral, and their numbers are increasing every day. Oh, they ask, what have you done in 23 years? We have raised a youth that will, first and foremost, set the keystone of the cause as large as the continent of Anatolia. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Sir, we also express our gratitude in your presence to everyone who contributed with the excitement of our youth under the leadership of our President. Mr. President, now, with your permission, we would like to take questions from our young brothers, our friends. We also kindly request our friends who will ask questions to introduce themselves. Hello, Mr. President. Welcome to Samsun . My name is Uğra Bilgehan Bilir. I am a 4 th-year student at the Ankara Social Sciences University, Faculty of Law. Mr. President, my question will be about a Turkey without terrorism. Now, the YPG has disbanded itself. We are very close to the goal of a terror-free Turkey. You have called the goal of a terror-free Turkey and a terror-free region a great legacy for the youth. Where will we see the results of this process in our own lives? What kind of results will we see? That is what I wanted to ask. In the Southeast and East, our problems with terrorism were very significant. But thank God, currently in Southeast and East Anatolia, there is no such thing as terrorism left. In the highlands, the pastures, are quite active and lively. My brothers and sisters in the Southeast and East can now easily go up to these pastures. There, they can easily, in all those pastures, with their sheep and cattle, graze them, and they are in peace while doing so. This, of course, brings us great relief. I visit the region myself. In the region, thank God, there are practically no troubles left. And now the goal is, on a larger scale in the Southeast and East, across the whole region, to bring about an atmosphere of peace. Thank you , Mr. President. Thank you. Mr. President, I am Nesli Hanbodur. I am a final-year student in the Department of International Relations at Kastamonu University. I have a question for you. I saw a report published in France recently. In the world's new order, seven countries came together and prepared a report. In this report, we saw that Turkey was also included. You have been saying for years that the world is bigger than five. In your opinion, has the world accepted this sufficiently? Do you think the world has been able to see that it is bigger than five? I wanted to ask this. Thank you. Yes, I thank you as well. For years we have said the world is bigger than five , and we continue to say it. We didn't just stop there. We said something else as well. What was that? A fairer world is possible. There is a book on that now. Have you read it? Wonderful. Good, if you have read it, I congratulate you . That is the whole point. A fairer world is possible. How is it possible? We are following what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz right now, aren't we? It is not just what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz. You look at the Gulf, there are serious troubles in many places. And where are the places where these troubles create bottlenecks ? The Islamic world. And we, as Turkey, hope that we will overcome these troubles faced by the Islamic world as soon as possible. To overcome this, Turkey has exerted its influence in the region, is doing so, and will continue to do so. We cannot take this lightly. Because there are high expectations from Turkey. Do not forget, why did we take that step regarding the defense pact in Riyadh and Mecca? Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey came together and took a step. The step we took was for these three countries to come together, and with this step, hopefully, we will send a signal from here to the Islamic world. There are good developments. We will achieve this as well. Mr. President, I am Tülay Köseoğlu. I am from Amasya. I am a 3 rd-year student of Turkish Language Teaching at Amasya University. I have seven sisters. They send their best regards. We love you very much. I am glad you exist. I am glad you exist. So I didn't misunderstand, right? 7 G Yes. All girls. We are seven sisters. No boys, unfortunately, but it's okay. That's the best part. Why do you say unfortunately? I mean? They wanted boys a lot, but we were all girls at first. My mother says so too. Heaven forbid. That's how it is. I am number six. I have a question for you. I'm a bit nervous, please excuse me. Don't be nervous at all. Mr. President, one of the most popular social media trends this week has been the 80s trend . Colorful, fun photos were shared. But we didn't hear about the 80s like this from our elders. We heard about the coup, the bans, and the youth executed by saying "one from the right, one from the left." You as someone who lived through those days, what would you want us never to forget about September 12? You have already given the necessary answer. By saying "one from the right, one from the left," unfortunately, these coup mentalities consumed the youth of that era in this way and, sadly, many of those youths were killed . We would have liked to neither see nor experience these, but unfortunately , we saw and lived through them. Our hope is that such situations do not happen again in the future. May youth not be killed from the right and the left. Let no opportunity be given for such a thing. May everyone continue on their path upright, and hopefully with their works, the youth prepare the Turkey of the future with all their assets, and may we be proud of them. Mr. President, sir, with your permission, we will now have a video presentation. Then our questions will continue from where we left off. Please , go ahead. Greece you see. We recognize them by their eyes. Inherited from your ancestors. In the middle of a fire, oh homeland. In 25 years, it became a port for everyone. The whole world stood in respect before it. Great hero, glad you exist, Erdoğan. Great hero, glad you exist, Erdoğan. Peace be upon you, Mr. President. My name is Özgür Kerem Nal. I am a Metallurgical and Materials Engineering student at Middle East Technical University. I will hopefully be a sophomore this year. I want to ask you a question about NATO. Recently, there was a NATO unit summit in Ankara. Mr. President, all NATO leaders came there under your leadership. Afterward, you welcomed all the leaders there with Janissary Band marches. After the Janissary marches, there was a presentation of a weapon. You gave a pistol to all the leaders, Mr. President. It was thought that there was a hidden message there. Afterward, Mr. President, did you receive any feedback from the other NATO leaders? Was there a response? If there was, which response was the clearest or drew your reaction the most, and which leader did it come from? Thank you. Best regards. We appeared with the products of the Machinery and Chemical Industry, and to all these arriving leaders we gifted these weapons. Why? We are Turkey. We wanted to present our works to them. As they say, the donkey dies, its saddle remains. A person dies , their work remains. And it turned out well. They were pleased. They were happy, and we, of course, were also happy that we provided this happiness, and thank God, we made the leaders' summit hit the ceiling. It reached the top. Now, of course, COP 31, hopefully, we will realize this in Antalya. Preparations for it and so on are, of course, being made. And there, meetings between Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, and my wife had taken place. We carried out this process with their support as well. We carried out this process, and thank God , we have reached a good position. In the coming period, I hope that within the United Nations community, our step regarding zero waste has gained significant ground. I hope Antalya will be the place where the summit for this is held. Mr. President, I am studying Nutrition and Dietetics at Gaziantep Sani Konukoğlu University. God willing , I will be a dietitian by this time next year. I would like to ask you a question about the "Centennial Night" documentary. As you know, most of my friends here were still children when the night of July 15th happened. The " Centennial Night" documentary was a very good example for us to understand that night much better and from many different perspectives. Did you watch it? I watched it, Mr. President, in its 15th episode. Wonderful. I was very moved at the end. It turned out very well. Later on, it taught us and showed us even better what kind of emotions you felt and what you went through. My question is about this. In your opinion, what should a young person who watches "Centennial Night" now know better and see more clearly regarding July 15th? Well, in this series, truly, there are 15 episodes, and if my young friends have watched the whole series, they have already grasped whatever they needed to take from it. The casting, right down to the actors, was very well done, and with this, it was a very thorough preparation that was successful until the very last moment. And the opportunity to capture and watch this success, we also strove to find. I thank you. I do. Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome to Samsun again. Mr. President, with your permission, our questions will continue from where they left off in a moment. Now, the valuable singer Resul Dindar, who does not leave us alone today and is with us at this meaningful gathering, is among us. Now, with your strong applause, Resul Dindar is before you. Thank you. Uh, on a long path. I walk day and night. I am on a long, narrow road. I am going day and night. I do not know what state I am in. I am going day and night. Day and night. Day and night, day and night. I do not know what state I am in. I am going. Day and night, day and night, day and night, day and night . Hey. When I came to the world, I walked at the same time. When I came to the world, We walked at the same time. I am in an inn with two doors. Day and night, day and night, day and night there is. I am going through an inn with two doors. Da- night, day and night, day and night, day and night, wow. It cannot be told more. Thank you very much. Now let us sing a Black Sea song. Of course, we are excited too. We are very proud of young people like you. Thank you very much. I go beyond Çayeli. I go along the shore, I go along the shore, I go along the shore. I go beyond Çayeli, I go along the shore, I go along the shore, I go along the shore. Let me be the porter for the basket on your back, let me be your porter, let me be your porter. Let me be the porter for the basket on your back, let me be your porter. Let me be your porter. The ropes of the basket cut into my shoulder. They cut into my shoulder. The ropes of my basket, they cut. They cut into my shoulder, they cut into my shoulder. Open your white apron, let me see your face. Let me see your face. Let me see. Open your white apron, let me see your face. Let me see your face, let me know . I will decorate my gun handle with roses. I will decorate my gun handle with roses too. I will decorate it with roses. I will take it. I will take something else. I will make you crack. I will make you crack. I will take it. I will love it. I am different. I will make you crack. I will make you crack. Yes, we thank our President and Resul Dinler very much. We ask for a big round of applause from everyone again. A great honor. Thank you very much. Yes, Resul Dinler will be with us again shortly, and we continue our questions with our President. With your permission, please go ahead. Uh, my name is Elif Bulut. I am coming from Cankiri. I am a 3 rd-year student of International Relations at Cankiri Karatekin University. Uh, the AK Party celebrated its 25th anniversary last month. Looking back at these 25 years, is there a decision that everyone said "no" to, but you didn't give up on, and today you say "I'm glad I didn't"? If so, what is it? Thank you. with determination having done thank God, there is nothing left behind. And there is one very important thing: We have built a very strong youth. And as I expressed in my speech, we didn't say 30 years old for our youth. We lowered it to 18, and by lowering it to 18, we built and revived a new generation. Mr. President, sir, we held out the microphone to our youth in Samsun. What did they say to share their feelings and thoughts? With your request and permission, let's watch together. What is the first thing offered to a guest in Samsun? Bafra pita, tea, trit, pita, trit, Bafra pita, tea is served. What do you think is the best part of being young in Turkey? Living freely. We can travel our own city. We have many sources of entertainment. Since our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cares so much about the youth, a different generation is coming. Having such a beautiful country. Living under the patronage of our President. Living one's youth freely. If I were to show the world something from Turkey, what would it be? Turkish cuisine. I would want to show Cappadocia and our defense industry. I would show our love for tea. We have always stood by the oppressed. I could show our cultural heritage. What do you think is Turkey's greatest power? Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Our unity. The nationalist structure of the youth. That pride, our patriotism, is our strongest structure, I think. From the past to the present. I think our youth, love of country, love of nation. If you described Turkey's future in a single word, what would it be? Hope. Youth. AK Youth. Can I say three words? Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It can come to our technology. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Rise. If we asked you to describe our President with a single emoji, which one would it be? A heart-smiling face emoji could be it. Emoji with cool glasses. Turkish flag. I would describe him with a leadership emoji. I would do like this. If you could send a single message to our President, what would you say? I would write, "Thank God you were brought to lead us." Glad you exist. Don't worry about anything. My President, I trust the youth. We are ready. Glad you exist. I could send our President something like...A Friday message with hearts and roses, you know. I would want to say we are always by your side. I would tell him how much I love him. I would say I still love you. I don’t want anything. If you happen to be in Samsun, we shouldn't let you leave without tea. Greetings, Chief. And greetings to you, too. How are you? Are you doing well? We look forward to seeing you in Samsun. I love you very much. In the past, we used to travel by ship from Istanbul to our hometown, Rize. Back then, the journey wasn't that short. Samsun was one of our important ports of call, but Samsun also had a famous flavor along the route. That was Samsun’s ice cream. We would stop here. Then that ice cream would arrive. Was it like that, Mr. President? Don't just nod. He's telling the truth. Does that ice cream still exist today? We just talked about it. The Mayor said, " I'll take care of it in half an hour." Whatever is needed will be done, sir. If it’s to be done, let it be done. Mr. President, I am Melih Bakirci. I am a finance student at Istanbul Gelisim University. Sir, as we all know, you are a lover of football. We are aware of your football playing days. We have even seen photos of you as a player. Sir, lately we also see you on the basketball courts. We see you playing basketball, too. Sir, there are also developments in volleyball making our country proud. We have been champions for two years in a row. Thank God, they make us proud. After these developments and successes, does football still hold a special place in your heart, or have other branches caught up? Sir, I am curious about this. Let’s give the floor to our Minister of Youth and Sports. Osman, go ahead. First of all, we congratulate our Sultans of the Net. Since our President comes from a sports background, he supports all disciplines . Our country has experienced a revolution, especially in sports facilities. Huge investments were made. Great facilities were built in our Samsun, too. Major facilities were built all across the country. Modern stadiums were constructed. As you know, just last week the Sultans of the Net became European champions by beating Italy 3-2. They won back-to-back in 2023 and 2026. They also won the World Nations League in 2023. This year, they became champions again at the World Nations League in Hong Kong. That is the status of our Women’s National Volleyball team. Now, our men's national team is playing a match at the moment. They are playing against Switzerland, it is currently ongoing, sir. I am following it as well. We were leading 2-0. I suppose it became 3-0. We were leading in the last set as well. We are following them closely. We are keeping track of them there too. And of course, our national basketball team. Our President follows basketball very closely indeed. As you know, they became European runners-up last year. The 12 Giant Men really rose again and achieved great success. They continue their path by winning all 8 matches in the World Cup qualifiers. They have already guaranteed their spot in the 2027 World Cup in Doha. Let’s give them a round of applause. Let’s applaud the 12 Giant Men. As for football, you know we earned the right to join the World Cup after 24 years. We reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Currently, two of our football teams, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, represent us in the Champions League. Of course, the person who knows football best is our President. I grew up by his side. He was a very great football player. He used to play for IETT. He used to play for Erokspor and İT. And we would watch him. Great investments have been made in football. I believe it will get even better. I believe the new generation will be much more successful . I hope they will also be successful in the 2028 European Championship. But as I said, there are investments, huge investments made in sports. We have a president who values young people and sports with his vision, supporting those who produce these works. We thank you. Football is great. Especially watching a football match with him is much more enjoyable. We thank him. He has truly made great investments for Turkish sports and Turkish youth. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts . As young people, as athletes, a big applause and thanks to him. He is the master who knows this business best. I thank you. I offer my respects. Uh, the name is, uh, I'm at Çorum Hitit University, molecular...Yes. In Çorum. Çorum. Çorum Hitit University, molecular biology. But look here, you were unfair to me last night. What did you do to Samsun last night? Did they beat Samsun 5-1? Çorum beat Samsun 5-1 last night, right? Where? And in Samsun, too. The president already mentioned my situation. Go on. I am a 4 th-year student at Hitit University, Molecular Biology and Genetics. Uh, I have a question for you . Uh, recently we saw you at a toy store, uh, buying gifts for your grandchildren. Shouldn't I? Even last night on the phone, he says to me, "Grandpa, you said you were going to buy me a monster toy." I mean. Frankly, uh, what matters is, uh, I was wondering if your grandchildren can easily persuade their grandpa? That's what I was curious about. Grandchildren are loved more than they are persuaded. And they are loved so much, they are like honey fingers, you know. And I took him there that day. "Asım, which one are you picking?""This one.""Did you like it?"" I liked it." And he doesn't like things easily, of course. And him leaving there happily that day, of course, made me even happier as a grandfather, but he never forgets anything. Look, even last night on the phone, he said, " Grandpa, are you going to take me?" I will take him again. May God grant you all grandchildren as well. Amen. Yes. Mr. President, all of our young people... Of course, the grandchildren have reached 10, thank God. There are 10 grandchildren. And it's a special kind of happiness. Peace be upon you, Mr. President. And peace be upon you too, Emre. First of all, welcome to Samsun. Thank you. Samsun is beautiful with you. Turkey is beautiful with you, but you also add a special beauty to Samsun. Thank you so much. May God bless you. Mr. Emre is the pride of Samsun. May God bless you. Mr. President, I won't ask a question. I will say something very small to the youth. I don't want to take up much of your time. Dear young people, just recently while walking with my mother at the Nişantaşı intersection, we have a leader who, seeing a disabled citizen, stops his bus and gets off to ask if they need anything. This leader ...Emre, if I hadn't gotten off the bus then, how could I answer for that before God? You know, I didn't meet you for the first time on this trip. Yes. May God be pleased with you. Mr. President. I have seen you every time I come to Samsun for years. Thank you very much. Young man. May God be pleased with you. I want to say this one last time to the youth. Follow this leader. Take the burden off this leader's shoulders and pray for him morning and night. That is what I do. I invite you all to do the same. May God be pleased with you. Thank you so much for your promise. It's my pleasure. Think nothing of it. May God be with you once again. May God be your helper and protector. May God be our helper and protector, all together. Thank you, Mr. President. May God never leave us alone, hopefully . By the way, it just crossed my mind. A short while ago, as you know, our former mayor, who was also our former member of parliament, our brother Mustafa Demir, passed away. It would be appropriate if we all recite a Fatiha for his soul together. For his soul, let us pray. Mr. President, Resul Dindar is back with us now with our loud applause. If it rains, it rains. If it rains, it rains. I am already drenched. I am already drenched. If the beloved comes, the beloved has come. I am already longing. I am already longing. I am already blinded. Hands together, arms together. To the plateaus, to the mountains. My eyes are like this, destiny is written like this , destiny. Am I the guilty one? Are we the guilty ones? Destiny has written it so. Destiny has written it so. Am I the guilty one? Snow fell on our village. Snow fell on our village. The flowers are not seen. The flowers are not seen. The pain is difficult. The pain is difficult, but love does not tire. Love does not tire. The pain is difficult. The pain is difficult. Love does not... water at home. Come on, together. Come on, together. God together, Samsun. Samsun. Destiny has written it so. Destiny has written it so. Are we the guilty ones? Am I the guilty one? Am I the guilty one? Am I the guilty one? Are we the guilty ones? Çorum. Thank you, sir. With this, we express our gratitude for honoring us with your presence at our Samsun youth meeting this beautiful evening, and our Youth Branch President will present a gift to our President in commemoration of the day. This gift, the "From Independence to the Future" painting depicted digitally, is being presented to our President by our Youth Branch President Yusuf İbiç. We thank you very much with our loud applause. Sir, we have thus come to the end of our Samsun Youth Meeting. We express our gratitude to our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who honored our program and our youth meeting with his presence, and we see off our President with our respect and loud applause.