In the last week of Ramadan, students were hosted at iftar programs organized with contributions from Huawei and ULAK. Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, and BTK Vice President Dr. Abdulkerim Gün attended the events and addressed the students. The programs provided an opportunity for senior executives in the sector and students to come together.
Speaking at the iftar programs, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan emphasized that domestic and national technology production plays a critical role in independence.
Stating that technology eliminates borders and offers a faster and more effective world, Sayan expressed that the issue of who holds the power is gaining increasing importance. Sayan said, "If the power of access to technology is not in your hands, you become dependent on the decisions of those who hold it. We saw the most concrete example of this in the Starlink project, where the US threatened to cut off Ukraine's internet."
Noting that Turkey is now a country that produces technology, Sayan stated, "Once we used to ask, 'I wonder if we can produce our own technology?' Now, thanks to our domestic and national production institutions, we have become not only a producer but also a country exemplified in the world. The days of external dependency are behind us. With artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and beyond 5G stations, we are stepping onto the global stage and proudly introducing our own technology."
President Karagözoğlu: We Draw Our Strength from Our Domestic and National Technologies, Our Faith from Our Turkey Century Vision
Speaking at the programs, Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu stated that the world is changing rapidly and technology is becoming a larger part of life every day.
Karagözoğlu said, "As Turkey, we draw our strength from our domestic and national technologies and our faith from our Turkey Century vision."
Emphasizing that BTK attaches great importance to collaborations with stakeholders as well as domestic and national production, Karagözoğlu said, "Our goal in all our work is to achieve technological independence by producing our domestic and national technologies. In this regard, our country is taking important steps toward the goal of independence in technology with a domestic and national production approach. We are working with all our might to strengthen our 5G infrastructure, make investments in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and become one of the leading countries in technology exports."
Emphasizing that 5G is one of the most important agenda items in line with this vision, Karagözoğlu stated, "We do not see the 5G issue merely as a technological development. It is a symbol of our progress with solutions we have developed ourselves, without being dependent on others' technology."
At the finale of the iftar programs, a gift was presented to Board Member Orhan Öğe, who has been working at the Information Technologies and Communication Authority for many years and is retiring, in appreciation of his services.
Within the scope of the organized iftar programs, gifts were also given to students who placed in the competitions held via the Kahoot application by BTK Academy.