Türkiye will never relinquish a single drop of its “Blue Homeland,” Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of the TEKNOFEST board and Turkish defence giant Baykar, has said.
“If our homeland on land is our home, the Blue Homeland is the garden where we find peace,” Bayraktar said at the opening ceremony of TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard Command in northwestern Türkiye on Thursday.
“Just as we would not give up a single room of our home, we will never give up a single drop of the Blue Homeland, which is our garden,” he added.
The event is being organised under the leadership of Türkiye’s National Defence Ministry and the T3 Foundation, with Anadolu serving as its global communications partner.
Bayraktar noted that Türkiye’s land area covers approximately 783,000 square kilometres (302,300 square miles), while its Blue Homeland maritime jurisdiction areas extend across 462,000 square kilometres.
He said the event seeks to foster an appreciation of the sea among young people and strengthen awareness of Türkiye’s maritime rights and interests.
TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland features swimming, sailing and rowing competitions, as well as demonstrations by Türkiye’s underwater offence and underwater defence commandos.
Young participants are also developing future maritime technologies through competitions involving unmanned underwater systems, underwater rockets and unmanned surface vehicles, Bayraktar said.
He added that key Turkish naval platforms, ranging from the historic presidential yacht Savarona to the TCG Anadolu and TCG Istanbul warships and submarines, are being showcased to the public.
‘New era in global naval aviation’
Bayraktar said the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle, developed by Turkish defence firm Baykar, has opened a new era in global naval aviation through its ability to take off from and land on the short-runway vessel the TCG Anadolu.
“Throughout TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, AKINCI and Bayraktar TB3 will salute you and the gulf from the skies, proclaiming our determination for independence to the world,” he said, referring to two of Baykar’s signature high-tech drones.
Bayraktar also urged young people to establish ambitious goals while remaining committed to their roots and values.
“Remember that no wind is useful to a ship without a course or destination,” he said.
“As you set sail on the sea of life, have a lofty ideal of your own, a KIZILELMA,” he added, referring to Baykar’s single-engine, stealth, AI-capable unmanned fighter, whose name translates to “red apple,” signifying “a great ideal” in Turkic mythology and history.
He advised young people to follow paths that benefit humanity rather than routes that lead them into “aimless whirlpools and darkness.”
“How high you can rise into the skies and over the vast expanses is determined by how deeply you are connected to your roots and values,” he added.
‘Fight for justice and independence’
Bayraktar said the world is facing a moral and humanitarian collapse, with justice, compassion and international law being disregarded.
He stressed that Türkiye’s efforts in the Blue Homeland extend beyond technological development.
“The struggle we are waging in the Blue Homeland is therefore not merely a technology initiative,” he said. “This endeavour is a fight for justice and independence.”
Bayraktar said the “TEKNOFEST generation” would play a leading role in rebuilding a global system whose institutions have failed to offer humanity hope.
He also announced that, following the event in Golcuk, TEKNOFEST will move to southeastern Türkiye, inviting the public to attend TEKNOFEST Southeast, which is scheduled to begin in the city of Sanliurfa on September 30.
