ISTANBUL  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday marked the commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day. In a message shared by Türkiye's Communications Directorate on X, Erdogan underscored the historical significance of May 19, marking the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, in 1919. "We are protecting the homeland and the Republic—sacred legacies entrusted to us by our ancestors—and we are taking steps