19 May Marks the Symbol of the Turkish Nation's Resurgence

On the occasion of 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, Muhammet Öztürk, Coordinator President of Aegean Exporters Associations, released a message emphasizing that 19 May represents a historic turning point where the Turkish nation demonstrated its will for independence.

Pointing out that the independence struggle launched by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 19 May 1919 in Samsun symbolizes a war-ravaged nation rising to its feet again, Öztürk stated: "The torch of independence lit by our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with the principle of 'independence or death' has changed our nation's destiny; with the establishment of our Republic, Turkey has entered a major development process in production, industry, agriculture, science and foreign trade."

Noting that Turkey ranks among the world's largest economies with the gains of the Republic, Öztürk drew attention to exporters' contribution to the country's economy.

"The export sector represents 25 percent of Turkey's economy"
Recalling that Turkey achieved USD 396.5 billion in goods and services exports in 2025, Öztürk described Turkish exporters' strategic role in the country's economy with these words:

"Today, together with our export sector that has reached 180,000 companies, we continue to contribute to Turkey's production, investment, employment and growth targets. Our exporters represent approximately 25 percent of Turkey's gross national product of USD 1.59 trillion."

"The role of youth in Turkey's future is critical"
Drawing attention to the importance of the young population in Turkey's sustainable development targets, Öztürk noted that young people's adaptability to change, particularly in the age of digitalization and artificial intelligence, provides significant advantages.

"We must ensure stronger participation of our young people, who guarantee our future, in production, employment and exports. To the extent that we can combine the dynamism of our youth with technology across all fields—from science to industry, from agriculture to education—we can reach Turkey's production and export targets much more strongly," he said.

"Representation of young exporters is strengthening"
Stating that Aegean Exporters Associations are working to ensure young people play a more active role in the export ecosystem, Öztürk said the Young Exporters Council of Aegean Exporters Associations, established in 2019, is an important step in this vision.

Noting that 20 young exporters who are members of the Young Exporters Council now serve on the boards of EİB, Öztürk indicated that young people are beginning to take a more active role in decision-making processes.

Öztürk concluded his message with these words:
"We believe that in Turkey's second century, our young people's energy, entrepreneurship and productive capacity will take our exports to much stronger levels. We honor and remember with gratitude all our War of Independence heroes, particularly the Founder of our Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and celebrate our youth, the guarantee of our nation and future, on 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day."