'Erdoğan words on Turkish history taken out of context:’ Aide

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Remarks by Turkey's president about battles fought on Turkish soil during World War I have unfortunately been taken out of context, said a top aide to the president on March 20.         

In his remarks on March 18, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “was responding to the so-called 'manifesto' of the terrorist who killed 50 innocent Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand” last Friday, Fahrettin Altun, Turkey's presidential communications director, said on Twitter.       

“Turks have always been the most welcoming and gracious hosts to their Anzac visitors,” he added, referring to troops from Australia and New Zealand who fought in the Battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli) in 1915-1916.       

Many Anzac troops and their descendants make pilgrimages to Turkey on Anzac Day, April 25, to mark the soldiers' sacrifices and the friendship between nations that developed in the decades since.       

Altun said the terrorist's manifesto not only targeted Erdoğan himself but also the Turkish people and the Turkish state, referring to anti-Turkish statements in the manifesto.       

As Erdoğan “was giving the speech at the Çanakkale (Gallipoli) commemoration, he framed his remarks in a historical context of attacks against Turkey, past and present," he added.