Erdoğan marks Victory Day, visits Anıtkabir

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan marked the Aug. 30 Victory Day with a message of congratulations, vowing to bolster the nation's strength through forthcoming initiatives.

"I congratulate our beloved nation, Turkish Cypriots and our more than 7 million citizens around the world on the occasion of the Aug. 30 Victory Day. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of myself, my country and my nation to all our friends who share this day's joy," he conveyed through a message.

Underlining the "love of liberty that remains the Turkish people's defining attribute," Erdoğan affirmed, "The response of our nation, evident in countering threats to our existence in recent years — most notably the indomitable resistance against the treachery of July 15 [2016 coup attempt] — has consistently demonstrated the vitality of this will," he remarked.

Erdoğan spotlighted the milestones reached through the "democracy feast of the May 14 and May 28 elections," asserting their role in progressing toward the overarching objective.

"We will strengthen our country's power with the new steps in the upcoming period and raise Türkiye above the level of contemporary civilizations," Erdoğan affirmed. "We will definitely make our 'Century of Türkiye' vision a reality. We, as 85 million people, will achieve this by working hand in hand and heart to heart."

Meanwhile, Erdoğan, along with several state dignitaries, convened at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, where a ceremonial event unfolded.

The president laid a wreath adorned with the emblematic star and crescent to the mausoleum, alongside his signature in the special Anıtkabir guestbook.

"We, as the state and the nation, are implementing the vision of the 'Century of Türkiye' vision, which is the symbol of our goal to rise above the level of contemporary civilization, hand in hand and with perseverance and determination," his inscription read.

"Dear Atatürk... We commemorate you, your brothers in arms and the cherished martyrs... We will continue to work day and night until we bring our nation together with centuries-old dreams," Erdoğan wrote.

The date Aug. 30 has been celebrated as “Victory Day” for 101 years to mark the biggest battle of Türkiye’s Independence War that led to the birth of the Turkish Republic a year later. It was declared an official national holiday in 1926.

Türkiye was occupied by Allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918). The occupation prompted Türkiye’s War of Independence in 1919, during which Turkish forces, led by Gen. Mustafa Kemal, eventually ousted the occupiers from Anatolia.

Turkish forces fought the last battle, Dumlupınar, from Aug. 26 to 30, 1922, when Greek forces were decisively defeated, which was later legitimized by the Treaty of Lausanne. By the end of the year, all foreign forces had left the territories that would collectively become the new Republic of Türkiye in 1923.