The program, which began with the laying of a wreath at the Atatürk monument, a moment of silence, and the singing of the National Anthem, was attended by Yenimahalle Mayor Fethi Yaşar, OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, OSTİM Board Vice Chairman Sıtkı Öztuna, OSTİM Technical University Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ünsal Sığrı and Prof. Dr. Serdar Müldür, OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Regional Manager Adem Arıcı, OSTİM Industrialists and Businessmen Association (OSIAD) Board Chairman Süleyman Ekinci, OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Industrialists, Businessmen and Managers Association (ORSİAD) Board Vice Chairman Mehmet Turan, OSTİM Foreign Relations Coordinator Hamza Akca, Construction and Industrial Machinery Cluster (İŞİM) Board Chairman Dr. Ayşe Saraçoğlu, OSTİM Defense and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA) Board Chairman İbrahim Yarsan, representatives of educational institutions and all institutions and organizations forming the OSTİM ecosystem, industrialists, employees of regional businesses, and students.
The event included a performance by the Ankara Club Seymen team, and heroic folk songs were sung by members of the OSTİM Turkish Folk Music Choir.
“We must be aware of this blessing”
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın emphasized the importance of protecting the Republic and democracy. "We must be aware of this blessing in our country," said Aydın, recalling the words of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, regarding production.
Sharing Atatürk's famous quote, "Every factory is a fortress," Orhan Aydın stated, "One way to stand against global imperialism is to protect these fortresses, as every factory is a fortress. Secondly, Atatürk said, 'Societies that want to live comfortably without working, without tiring themselves, and without producing are doomed to lose their dignity first, then their freedom, and then their independence and future.' The development and industrialization of our country are again emphasized at the Economic Congress. If you list the factories established in the early years of the Republic, you will be amazed."
“OSTİM will leave its mark on the new century through hard work”
Aydın emphasized the following points in his speech: “As OSTİM, we believe we have done justice to these 100 years. OSTİM's signature is present in 55 of those 100 years. For 55 years, the people here have been producing, selling, and contributing to the country's employment, technology, and exports. They are doing what Atatürk said. They are people who are on his path, aware of the importance of production. When we lose production, we lose this struggle as well. We believe that by developing further, changing, and rediscovering knowledge, reason, and technology, we, as Turkey, will leave our mark on the new century. With this awareness, our OSTİM businesses will work diligently and leave their mark on the new century as well.”
“The Republic brought production”
Yenimahalle Mayor Fethi Yaşar began his speech by saying, “This is a celebration of brotherhood. The Republic brought us an educational revolution. It brought equality between men and women, the rule of law. It brought production. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said, ‘There will be a producing Turkey.’”
Yaşar stated, "If you don't produce, you can't create added value, and you can't maintain a balanced import-export ratio. In a country where we produce more than we import, God willing, we will be in a better place than we are today."
OSTİM Technical University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ünsal Sığrı stated that the university is always at the service of industry, aiming to produce and disseminate scientific knowledge to our country and the world, facilitate the work of our industry, contribute to regional development, and educate young people in the best possible way. Sığrı added, "We remember Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the great figures who contributed to the establishment of the Republic with respect and gratitude."
Representatives of NGOs who attended the ceremony also expressed the following views:
Mehmet Tuna, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Industrialists, Businessmen and Managers Association (ORSİAD): Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades did their part. Now it's our turn. We are also doing our part, exporting Turkish goods to the whole world. We will continue to discover new technologies with more determination than ever before. In our second century, we invite Turkish industrialists to produce machines that make machines.
Süleyman Ekinci, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Industrialists and Businessmen Association (OSIAD): We will continue to follow the path and goals set by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; we industrialists are doing just that. We know that without economic independence, there can be no complete independence. Therefore, we continue to produce and work. We produce value-added products and export them. We share what we earn. As long as this nation exists, the Republic will live on for a long time.
Dr. Ayşe Saraçoğlu, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Business and Construction Machinery Cluster (İŞİM): As İŞİM, guided by Atatürk's mission to surpass contemporary civilizations since the founding of the Republic, we continue and will continue to produce in the new century of our Republic.
Ibrahim Yarsan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Defence and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA): The continuation of our Republic's successes will be achieved through our unity and the reduction of our dependence on foreign countries. Our independence in the defense industry will ensure the continuation of our Republic for many centuries to come. We wish to be together with our Republic for many more centuries.
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