Erdoğan praises vision of young people

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 12 applauded youngsters of Turkey, saying that their hopes are high for the future of the country thanks to the potential of its young generation.

“Every time we meet with young people, our hopes for the future of this country increase,” he said, addressing the Turkey Youth Summit.

Noting that in the coming periods, he will continue to meet with young people both in libraries and in such events, on the occasion of these meetings, Erdoğan said he sees that Turkey has “bright young people with a clear horizon and conscience.”

Turkey’s young people are preparing themselves for the future as citizens of a growing country, the president said, emphasizing that the youngsters were dedicated to their “cause.”

“Despite those who constantly complain about what will happen to this young generation, our young people are reading, researching and following the world. Our young people are preparing themselves for the future in the best way, with the awareness that they are citizens of a growing and strengthening country,” he stated.

In the past 19 years, his government has worked hard for the young generation and has taken many steps in this bid, the president said.

Erdoğan said the government increased the number of youth centers to 375 and the number of sports centers to 3, 915. Turkey has increased its number of universities from 76 to 207 and has strengthened educational infrastructure to scholarships, he added.

He emphasized that the government lowered the age of candidacy for elections from 30 to 25.

“Then we said that since we look at life as the generations of [Ottoman Sultan] Fatih, let’s give the right to vote at the age of 18 to the grandchildren of Fatih, who conquered Istanbul at the age of 18. We have increased the energy of young people even more into politics. I hope we will achieve greater success in the future,” the president stated.

He recalled that Turkey’s thousands of children were killed in terrorism in the last 35 years.

“For 19 years, we have not given an opportunity to those who try to make a profit for themselves through the blood of the youth, and we will not give them an opportunity in the future. We are not content to let even a single young person of ours be wasted, to be lost among the wild gears of terror,” he said.

He called on young people and said they should not let “anyone steal their dreams, discourage them and waste their energy.”

“For whatever reason, we carry the responsibility of each of our young people that we cannot reach or hold in our hearts,” Erdoğan said.