19.05.2026 13:20
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli addressed thousands of young people at the Turkish Youth Grand Assembly. Delivering a message of a Terrorism-Free Turkey to the youth, Bahçeli said, 'While the weight of the great responsibility we have taken for the goal of a Terrorism-Free Turkey rests on our shoulders, the duty that falls upon you is greater than ever. My request from you is this: let your bonds of brotherhood be strong. Let your stance be uncompromising. Support each other. Be those who lend a shoulder, not those who tire. Do not amplify your brother's faults in public squares.'
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli attended the Turkish Youth Grand Assembly organized by the Ülkü Ocakları Education and Culture Foundation at Ankara Sports Hall under the theme "In the Light of Independence to the Turkish Century." MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli was greeted with a special cortege by the Ülkü Ocakları.
"NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE BOAST OF THIS YOUTH, IT IS NOT ENOUGH"
Addressing thousands of young people at the Assembly, Bahçeli said:
"I take great pride in the magnificent scene, enthusiasm, excitement, and passion for the ideal I see before me. I am fortunate to witness the future of our great nation and the young breaths of the Turkish-Islamic cause.
I am proud of the Turkish youth who nurture their dreams under the shadow of the Gray Wolf blue banner. Seeing the Turkish youth here, who carry in their hearts the power to melt the iron mountains of Ergenekon, in their ideology the determination of Manzikert, and in their steps the independence struggle of Samsun, is an indescribable honor for me.
We declare here, amidst this magnificent tableau, how alive the idealist movement remains. The Turkish youth we longed for in our prayers, trusted until the end, stand before me, upright. No matter how much we boast of this youth, it is not enough.
Dear Asenas, dear Bozkurts, who fill this hall with clear brows, sound minds, strong hearts, evident determination, and pure intentions, and of whom I am proud, I greet you all on the occasion of the assembly organized by the Ülkü Ocakları, and I embrace each one of you.
I thank all my comrades and fellow travelers, raised and still being raised in the Ülkü Ocakları, especially Ülkü Ocakları Chairman Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım.
"MAY 19 IS A BLESSED BEGINNING"
My children, May 19, 1919, is a blessed beginning where the Turkish nation was reborn on the stage of history, shattered the chain of captivity, and brushed aside games of tutelage.
When Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha ignited the fuse of the national struggle in Samsun, there was uncertainty before him, informants of betrayal behind him, and a death sentence around his neck. There was no room for fear in his soul. Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the architect of that will, did not see impossibility as an excuse.
There is no room for despondency, fatigue, hesitation, surrender, or exhaustion in this march. May 19 is the ascension of our sorrowful nation. May 19 is the rewriting of a destiny left to captivity by the Turkish hand.
"IF ANYONE WONDERS WHO YOU ARE, LET THEM FIRST LOOK AT THE PAST"
Do not fear, do not flee, do not be swept away. The wind may blow harsh, the roads may become difficult, you may fall into that wolf's loneliness, sometimes no one may understand you, you will be travelers of sunny days, guests of joyful tables, and guardians of hearths in foggy weather. If anyone wonders who you are, where you come from and where you are going, let them first look at the past.
Do not break from your roots, consider your identity an honor. Do not sell your ancestor's advice or your mother's prayer. Do not let your days be lost in the vortex of the virtual world. Do not surrender your time to emptiness, your mind to chaos, or your pure souls to false glitter. Fortify your morality with faith, your dreams with ideals, and your goals with discipline. Do not abandon your ranks, and when necessary, do not hesitate to leap forward and never turn back.
"IT IS NOT EASY TO BE AN IDEALIST YOUTH IN SUCH A TIME"
It is not easy to be an idealist youth and remain an idealist in such a time. I heartily congratulate every idealist youth standing firm. Idealist youth are not the name of aimless anger or excessive excitement, but of discipline, courtesy, and discernment.
While the burden of the great responsibility we have taken for the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey rests on our shoulders, the duty that falls to you is greater than ever.
"MAY YOUR BONDS OF BROTHERHOOD BE STRONG"
My request to you is this: May your bonds of brotherhood be strong. May your upright stance be uncompromising. Lean on each other. Be those who support, not those who tire. Do not magnify your brother's faults in public.
Our path is not for position, but for the cause. Not for applause, but for the pleasure of Allah. Even if your burden grows heavy, let not your knees tremble."
Bahçeli concluded his words with the following: "How happy is the one who says I am a Turk, how happy is the one who says I am an idealist, I will remain an idealist."