Battle of Gallipoli teaching lessons: Minister

ÇANAKKALE

Everyone should embrace the lessons learned from the Battle of Gallipoli and entrust it to future generations, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı has said.

Avcı spoke at a ceremony held at the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial in the northwestern province of Çanakkale (Dardanelles) on April 24 to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign.

The 1915 battle that took place in the province’s Gallipoli marked a turnaround in favor of the Turks against the Allied forces during World War I.

“The Battle of Çanakkale was not only a struggle for life, but also a struggle of the youth who died for honor and virtue,” Avcı said. 

Tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers had lost their lives in the historic battle.

 “It is our duty as a nation to give the Çanakkale victory the value that it deserves,” he said. 

Britain’s ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore said the Gallipoli Campaign “was the field upon which waning empires clashed and the crucible in which new nations were forged.”

Speaking on behalf of the former Allied powers at this year’s Gallipoli commemoration, Moore said he was “honored” to commemorate “all sides who gave their lives over a century ago.”

“Here, 102 years ago, our nations fought against one another in bloody conflict, yet today we meet here as friends, in mutual respect and admiration. And perhaps that is the most optimistic lesson that we can draw from our remembrance that with open hearts and open minds the bitterest enemies can become true friends,” Moore added.