Erdoğan's Statement on TEKNOFEST Soma in the Southeast

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Aviation, Space and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST) Southeast, held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport. After greeting those in the field, Erdoğan said, "I pray to God Almighty to have mercy on the 5 miners who lost their lives in the collapse that occurred in Manisa Soma on Thursday. I wish patience to the grieving families and colleagues of our miners, and a speedy recovery to the 2 miners who were rescued with injuries and whose treatment continues."

Stating that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources launched an administrative investigation and the Soma Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched a judicial investigation regarding the collapse, Erdoğan said, "9 people, including the officials of the company operating the mine, were detained. The investigation continues in a multifaceted manner. Anyone who is negligent or guilty will definitely be held accountable. We will follow up on this."

'We are watching with pride'

President Erdoğan said that they are together with the young people again in a TEKNOFEST that brings together intelligence and labor, intelligence and knowledge, and ideas and projects, and continued as follows:

"Today, we are once again proudly watching the level Turkey has reached in technology and the qualified works produced by the TEKNOFEST generation. I congratulate all our young people who exhibited their products and turned their dreams into reality at TEKNOFEST Southeast. This magnificent atmosphere at our GAP Airport clearly shows us the determination, excitement and determination of our young people here. Thank God, Turkey's future is in safe hands. My country's future, horizon and fortune are wide open.

Türkiye Century will bear the trace, seal and stamp of the TEKNOFEST generation. The young people here are the pride of this nation, the apple of this country's eye. It is the strongest sign of a prosperous and respected Turkey. I break my fast to each of you. I thank God Almighty for leading the way with such a knowledgeable, moral, brave and self-confident youth. "May this light in your eyes never go out, may this enthusiasm in your hearts never subside. May God protect you from evil eyes."

'It made you proud, didn't it?'

Stating that he wanted to know what young people thought about the event, Erdoğan said:

"You have seen the local and national defense products exhibited here, right? You liked KIZILELMA, KAAN, GÖKBEY, ATAK, HÜRJET, ANKA, BAYRAKTAR TB2 and other air platforms with the latest technology, right? ZAHA, Pars, Gezgin, Boran, Fırtına, Korkut, Gökberk, Kalkan, Hisar, Ejderha and our other land vehicles got full marks from you. "Our Albatros unmanned marine vehicle, our TÜRKSAT 6A satellite, our local detection system, our demonstration flights, these made you excited and proud, right? Yes, we think just like you. We are excited and enthusiastic. We are proud of all the technologies here, which are implemented by our own engineers, software developers and technicians."

1 million 600 thousand contestants applied

Erdoğan said, "The number of applications has increased every year, thank God, this year the interest in TEKNOFEST Southeast is really intense. More than 730 thousand teams and more than 1 million 600 thousand competitors from 81 provinces and 97 countries of the world applied to technology competitions."