On 18 May 2026, a conference entitled “May 19, 1919 and Its Historical Significance” was delivered at Karaman Open Penal Institution by our department’s Res.Assist. Aytunç Ülker. Organized within the framework of the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on 19 May, the program addressed the initial phase of the Turkish National Struggle, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun, and the Turkish nation’s struggle for independence.

During the conference, the speaker emphasized that 19 May 1919 represents not merely a historical date, but also a symbol of the rebirth of the Turkish nation and its determination for independence, noting that Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s landing in Samsun constituted the first step of the National Struggle. The presentation examined, from a historical perspective, the political and military developments of the late Ottoman period, the occupation conditions that emerged following the First World War, the effects of the Armistice of Mudros, and the resistance movements initiated throughout Anatolia. The program also provided a detailed account of Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s appointment as Inspector of the Ninth Army, his journey aboard the Bandırma Ferry, and the organizational phases of the National Struggle shaped through the Havza and Amasya Circulars. It was underlined that the principle of independence grounded in national sovereignty formed the essential basis of the National Struggle, while the statement articulated in the Amasya Circular, “The independence of the nation shall be saved by the determination and decision of the nation itself” was identified as one of the foundational principles shaping the philosophy of the Republic of Türkiye. Referring also to the evaluations presented in Nutuk, Res.Assist. Aytunç Ülker stated that the greatest source of strength possessed by Mustafa Kemal Pasha upon his arrival in Samsun was his confidence in the Turkish nation. The conference further stressed that the National Struggle was not solely a military conflict, but also a comprehensive struggle for full independence, national sovereignty, and modernization.

At the conclusion of the conference, which attracted considerable interest, it was expressed that the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on 19 May would continue to serve as a source of unity, solidarity, hope, and new beginnings.