President Erdoğan marks TÜRGEV’s 30th anniversary and warns against LGBT influence on youth

President Recep Tayyay Erdoğan attended the 30th‑year celebration of the Turkey Youth and Education Service Foundation (TÜRGEV) at Istanbul’s Haliç Kongre Merkezi. In his address he thanked the foundation’s staff, highlighted its growth to 47,542 students housed in 24 dormitories across nine Turkish provinces and international facilities in New York and London, and cited achievements such as the “Yetişen Değerler” awards and scholarship programmes.

Erdoğan warned that “LGBT‑like ideologies and other ‘deviant’ ideas are being injected into young minds” and pledged that “we will not let our youth become a side‑dish in conflicts.” He stressed the need to develop a youth that “guides the flow rather than follows it,” and appealed for greater outreach to marginalised young people.

After the program, youth waiting outside presented Erdoğan with a special “Father’s Day” tableau containing messages like “İyi ki Erdoğan var” and “Baba bir geceni de bize ayır,” echoing a personal note he once wrote to his daughter. The president spent several minutes conversing with the young attendees and took photos with them.