Turkey to commemorate WWI over three days, coinciding with April 24

ANKARA

Representatives from around 80 countries, including 21 presidents, three deputy presidents, and five prime ministers, will attend controversially rescheduled events in Turkey on April 24 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.

Turkey has rescheduled the international commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign to coincide with the date when Armenia traditionally commemorates the 1915 massacres of Ottoman Armenians, which it refers to as the Armenian genocide.

Turkey will host events over three days to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç told reporters on April 16.

Turkey will hold a “Peace Summit” in Istanbul on April 23 with the participation of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, Bilgiç said.

On April 24 the events at Çanakkale will kick off and the annual Anzac Day will be commemorated with representatives from Australia and New Zealand on April 25.

The U.K.’s Prince Charles and Prince Harry have already confirmed that they will attend events at Gallipoli.
Some 10,000 people from Australia and New Zeeland are also due to arrive in Turkey to participate in the events, Bilgiç also noted.