15th Contemporary Youth Traditional Martyrs' Monument Çanakkale Meeting was held on Saturday, March 23, under the leadership of the Contemporary Youth Central Unit and ÇYDD Çanakkale Branch, with the contributions of the ÇYDD Headquarters Board

CONTEMPORARY YOUTH CAME TOGETHER IN ÇANAKKALE FOR THE 15TH TIME

15th Contemporary Youth Traditional Martyrs' Monument Çanakkale Meeting was held on Saturday, March 23, under the leadership of the Contemporary Youth Central Unit and ÇYDD Çanakkale Branch, with the contributions of the ÇYDD Headquarters Board of Directors. More than 2 thousand members and students from 69 branches attended the event; ÇYDD President Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel, ÇYDD Vice president Atty. Sedat Durna and substitute board members Tanzer Boğan, Dicle Karabulut Altınsoy, Kartal Kaan Akdoğan and Berfin Kuruş were also present. The event, which continued throughout the day, started with a visit to the Çanakkale Martyrs' Monument and continued with a moment of silence in memory of our martyrs and the National Anthem. At the event, Atatürk's Address to the Youth and the youth's response to Atatürk were read aloud by all participants. The event ended with the speech made by ÇYDD President Prof. Dr.  Ayşe Yüksel and the press release made by Yusuf Aksu, Deputy General Facilitator of Contemporary Youth.

Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel: Despite All the Attrition, Atatürk's Name Will Be Proudly Lived On

In her speech, President Yüksel underlined that the foundations of the secular Republic of Turkey were laid in Çanakkale in 1915 and reiterated her trust in young people and said, "Our dear young people, who are the hope of the future of the Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği we wholeheartedly congratulate and embrace all of you. We have young people coming to Çanakkale from all over Turkey for this meeting hosted by our Çanakkale branch. Even though 109 years have passed since 1915, we are here with 69 branches. We are here today thanks to the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and our martyrs whom we visited with the love in our hearts. How happy we are. Our gratitude and endless respect will continue from generation to generation. Perhaps Atatürk deserved to be Atatürk in Çanakkale. I say deserved, because no one presented this title to him. Ataturk experienced many emotions here. It was not easy to say to your children, "I command you to die." We know the conditions under which he got to that point. But despite all these difficulties, he was reading his books and growing his dreams for the future under the attack of bullets. He is sleeping peacefully today. Despite everything and all the wear and tear in this country, Ataturk's name is kept alive with pride and will be kept alive forever. We remember with respect all our soldiers in the person of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who opened the door to the secular Republic of Turkey in 1915. I'm glad you came, I'm glad we experienced this feeling together. Today was a day that I will write down in my book of beautiful memories and will go back and read it again. We are glad that our youth exists and that they protect their values. They are the young people of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who said " Turkish Youth!". We will continue to walk the road with our young people and always stand by them," she said.

ÇGMB: As Contemporary Youth, We Are Here for the Republic Forever

Following ÇYDD President Prof. Dr. After Ayşe Yüksel's speech, Contemporary Youth Deputy General Facilitator Yusuf Aksu made a press statement on behalf of the Contemporary Youth Central Unit. In his statement, Aksu emphasized that the Battle of Gallipoli was a struggle for existence on behalf of the Turkish nation and stated that, as Contemporary Youth, they would continue the struggle in the light of Ataturk's principles and revolutions.

The full text of the press release written by the Contemporary Youth Central Unit is as follows:

As Contemporary Youth, today, on the 109th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli; We are in the land watered with the blood of our martyrs, to commemorate our martyrs and veterans who fought forever for the Republic, for the homeland, for freedom, for a fully independent Turkey, never to return, and the Çanakkale Victory, written in golden letters in history. March 18 Çanakkale Victory is an unforgettable victory in which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said to his soldiers, "I do not order you to attack, I order you to die." Our heroic soldiers continued to fight for their homeland until the end, without even thinking about it, and changed the course of history with the struggle for the existence of a nation. It started to defend our borders during the most critical period of World War I; Afterwards, it turned into an epic that will not be forgotten throughout history, the story of a people rising from the ashes, on the road to the independent Republic of Turkey within its national borders. Because the Battle of Gallipoli is not just a military victory; It is the victory of the people with the power of the Kuva-yi Milliye spirit, which burns with the love of independence, that we can protect these lands even with a bowl of compote and a piece of dry bread.

Contemporary Youth still continues its struggle for full independence with the spirit of Kuva-yi Milliye in Çanakkale in the 101st year of the Republic of Turkey. Today, we say "Republic Forever" to keep our republic alive forever. Because the republic is not just a form of state government; it is freedom and complete independence. Republic is equality, justice, solidarity, national sovereignty of the people.It is the free expression of thoughts, equal rights of men and women; It is the formation of contemporary, secular, society by individuals in this age. As Contemporary Youth, we promise once again that we will continue to fight in the presence of all our martyrs who shed their blood for the country in the Gallipoli War, in the path of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic. We will always keep alive the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, "My humble body will surely turn to dust one day, but the Republic of Turkey will survive forever." As Contemporary Youth, we are here for the Republic forever!