President Erdoğan stresses youth’s responsibility for Türkiye’s future in Samsun

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed Türkiye’s future with young people at a youth gathering held after the opening of Samsun City Hospital. Erdoğan said young people should be at the center of politics, highlighting the reduction of the minimum age for election to 18 and support for youth.

Scraper SystemSeptember 15, 2026, 12:25 AM

President Erdoğan stresses youth’s responsibility for Türkiye’s future in Samsun

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the “Meeting with Young People” program organized by the AK Party’s General Headquarters Youth Branch at Yalı Kafe Library in Samsun, where he was visiting for the opening of Samsun City Hospital.

Referring to Samsun’s place in the struggle for independence, Erdoğan said he was pleased to meet with young people. He said Türkiye had been kept safe from dangers despite the crises and conflicts surrounding the country, and stated that the Bandırma ferry and TCG Anadolu symbolized Türkiye’s development from the past to the present.

“Bringing young people to the center of politics is a matter of will”

Erdoğan said young people were an important human resource that connected the past with the future. Saying that young people should have a long-term ideal rather than day-to-day goals, Erdoğan noted that bringing young people to the center of politics was a matter of will.

Recalling that the minimum age for election had been reduced from 30 to 18, Erdoğan said young people were being supported in education, sports, culture, the arts, civil society and public administration. Erdoğan said young people had previously been divided along different identities and political labels, and stated that such periods should not be experienced again.

Response to the “Terror-Free Türkiye” question

In response to a student’s question about the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, Erdoğan said problems stemming from terrorism had ended in the Southeastern Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia regions. He said people in the region could reach pasturelands more easily and graze their animals in peace, adding that the goal was to create a peaceful environment throughout the region.

While answering the students’ questions, Erdoğan also renewed his call for a more just world. Referring to developments in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, Erdoğan said the problems facing the Muslim world needed to be overcome and stated that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye had taken steps toward a defense pact.

He said youth gatherings would continue

Referring to meetings held with young people at different times, Erdoğan said they would continue working in line with young people’s ideas, demands and needs. Erdoğan said they would continue meeting with young people and stated that Türkiye’s future would be prepared by them.

During the program, students asked questions about the September 12 period, the series “A Century-Long Night,” sports investments, international meetings and youth policies. Erdoğan also answered questions about the match between Samsunspor and Çorum Football Club and about his family.

President Erdoğan stresses youth’s responsibility for Türkiye’s future in Samsun