After the grand opening ceremony of the world's largest Aerospace and Technology Festival TEKNOFEST yesterday, President Erdoğan hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dibeybe. In his speech, President Erdoğan stated that TEKNOFEST was another beautiful event this year and sent his greetings to young hearts in 81 provinces of the country, and thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mihriban Aliyeva and Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dibeybe for their participation.

President Erdogan: We are holding our technology festival first in Istanbul and then in Ankara…

President Erdoğan stated that they came together with young people who are interested in technology, defense industry and science and continued as follows: "We live our technology festival this year first in Istanbul and then, God willing, in Ankara. I wish TEKNOFEST, where concrete examples of our National Technology Initiative are exhibited, to be beneficial for our country, our nation and you, our young people.”

A live connection was from the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Haydar Aliyev Elementary School in Kahramanmaraş.

He said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who stood next to him on the stage of TEKNOFEST 2023, has never left Türkiye alone since the first day of the February 6 earthquakes; and he has been with us with all his support and Aliyev promised 1000 permanent housing units for Kahramanmaraş. President Erdogan, together with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan, attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Haydar Aliyev Elementary School with 24 classrooms via live connection from the TEKNOFEST stage. After the live connection with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci, the foundation of the school was laid by pressing the button.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, Erdoğan presented İlham Aliyev with a commemorative stamp of Haydar Aliyev's centenary birth.

Türkiye's First Space Travelers are at TEKNOFEST…

Turkish citizens to be sent to space within the National Space Program in the 100th year our Republic was also announced by President Erdoğan at TEKNOFEST. 

For Turkey's first manned space journey, two candidates, one noble and one substitute, selected among thousands of people, appeared on the stage of TEKNOFEST. The space travel of the candidates who will receive training on many subjects such as space station and infrastructures, communication systems, life support systems, emergencies, experimental infrastructures, launch vehicle and crew vehicle systems, return to earth procedures by Axiom Space and SpaceX in the USA will be carried out in the last quarter of 2023.

President Erdogan; “Today we are taking another important step towards making these dreams come true. In the process we started in May, we identified 2 space passengers, one primary and one backup. First of all, we would like to thank thousands of our citizens who applied to become space travelers. We also congratulate our friends who won the right to be a space traveler among thousands of suitors. Our friend, who will go on Turkey's first manned space mission, will stay on the International Space Station for 14 days. In this mission, our space traveler will perform 13 different experiments prepared by the valuable universities and research institutions of our country. Our backup candidate will also reinforce his training by performing a suborbital flight. The meeting time of our space traveler with space is planned as the last quarter of 2023," he said.

Erdogan handed over the flag, which will be a symbol of Turkey's strength and determination, to Alper Gezeravcı, who will go to the International Space Station, and Tuva Cihangir Atasever, who was selected as a backup, to space travelers to take to space and proudly carry.

Before President Erdoğan, President Aliyev and Libyan Prime Minister Dibeybe left the stage of TEKNOFEST, Turkey's first unmanned fighter aircraft Bayraktar Kızılelma rose to the skies of Istanbul and passed over Atatürk Airport to celebrate the young people who ranked in TEKNOFEST. At the end of the program, a gift was presented to Erdoğan, Aliyev and Dibeybe by Selçuk Bayraktar and a souvenir photo was taken.