Youth and Sports Minister Bak: “We continue to serve this nation”

Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak stated, “As our President said, ‘we do not look at what the opposition says’, we are charting our course within the framework of our own plan, based on the assessments we receive from the nation. We continue to serve this nation.”

Minister Bak arrived in Kırklareli for various visits. Speaking at a press conference held at the AK Party Provincial Headquarters, Minister Bak emphasized that the AK Party is the party of the nation, stating, “As our President has expressed, ‘we only receive instructions and orders from the nation.’ This is our philosophy. The AK Party is an organization that set out as the voice of the silent masses and the advocate for the voiceless, continuing its service caravans.”

Bak noted that Turkey has the most modern facilities, stating, “Of course, our luck is that our President comes from the world of sports and youth movements. To put it another way, in 2002 we had dormitories with a capacity of 180 thousand, and today we have increased that capacity to 980 thousand. We serve our youth in nearly 860 dormitories. This year, we have also conducted dormitory placements for the 2024-2025 academic year. So far, there is a placement rate of around 91 percent, and it continues. We will continue to serve our children in new dormitories this season as well. Additionally, as a Ministry, we are receiving applications for both scholarships and loans. Until now, we have provided scholarships and loans to an average of 1.5 million of our children each year, with 500 thousand being scholarships and approximately 1 million being loans. Thus, one of the services we provide to our youth as the Ministry of Youth and Sports is this. Furthermore, modern stadiums, swimming pools, athletics tracks, artificial turf fields, volleyball, and basketball courts are visible all over Turkey.”

Minister Bak explained that through the “No One Should Be Unable to Swim Project,” around 11 million young people in Turkey have received swimming education. He conveyed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the voice of the oppressed, stating that he is a leader who cries out, “The world is greater than five.” Bak added, “Our President is a leader who stands against the genocide we are witnessing in Gaza, who mobilizes the whole world, and calls everyone against the oppression there. We never forget the genocide in Gaza, and we desire peace to come as soon as possible while we continue to follow it to the end, and we are carrying this out under the leadership of our President.”

Recalling that the AK Party has opened doors for youth, Bak noted, “Initially, the age for election was 30, then it was lowered to 25, and with the most recent change, it has been lowered to 18. Thus, the AK Party is a party that opens doors for young people and provides them with a space in politics. We will continue to serve our nation. When we look at the evaluations from the last elections, we received the messages from our nation, and we are assessing them with our relevant committees, and we need to carry out this change and process together. We take pride in serving this nation. We will continue to serve the nation. As our President expressed, we do what the nation tells us. We act according to the results given to us by the nation. We are taking our lessons, doing what is necessary, completing our deficiencies, and we will continue to serve the nation.”

Stating that they continue to serve the nation, Bak said, “As our President said, ‘we do not look at what the opposition says’, we are charting our course within the framework of our own plan, based on the assessments we have received from the nation. We continue to serve this nation. Again, the strength of the AK Party comes from this dynamism, from listening to the nation. The most important style of politics is to listen, to pay attention to what the nation says, to evaluate their demands, and to fulfill them.”

Later, Bak, along with his companions, visited tradesmen and a tea house, and visited a nursing home before watching a women’s basketball match. At the Youth Meeting, he also met with students and then visited Governor Birol Ekici and the municipality.