ISTANBUL

The event director of the Blue Homeland, TEKNOFEST's maritime edition, said the event is bridging the gap between the past and the future, and that the 'blue homeland' is one of the most important legacies to pass down to future generations.

Selcuk Bayraktar, speaking at the event on Thursday, said TEKNOFEST is the world's largest technology event, with 10 million attendees and five million competitors to date.

TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, a four-day event, is being held at the Istanbul Shipyard Command. Anadolu serves as the global communication partner. While the festival began on Thursday, the public will be able to attend from Friday to Sunday.

The event includes competitions for unmanned underwater systems, underwater rockets, and autonomous maritime vehicles.

The event features important maritime vessels, including the first UAV carrier ship, TCG Anadolu, the Bayraktar TB3, and TCG Anadolu ships, which are capable of taking off and landing from short-runway vessels, not only launching Türkiye's national naval aviation but also opening the doors to a new era as a game-changing force.

Regarding Türkiye's new social media platform NSosyal, he said the new world order being envisioned does not accept independent states or free thought.

He added: "A narrative that divides, marginalizes, and pits people against each other reigns supreme.

"The Teknofest generation took a principled stand against this digital domination of the global order. Türkiye's social media sphere brought the most social aspect of life to the forefront."

In response to this digital tyranny, Türkiye's social media platform NSosyal was launched, he noted, adding that the platform has reached one million users in a short period.