Turkey to mark War of Independence victory

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 25 spoke out on Turkey’s Victory Week, praising the resolution and determination shown by the nation during the 1919-1923 War of Independence.

The last week of August marks two key historical victories by Turkish forces: the Battle of Malazgirt on Aug. 26, 1071, which saw Seljuk Turks defeat a Byzantine army and open up Anatolia for Turkish domination.

It also marks the start of the Great Offensive of Aug. 26, 1922, which saw invading Greek forces’ eventual defeat at the hands of the Turkish army. 

The nation marks Aug. 30 as the Victory Day. 

In a statement, Erdoğan lauded the Great Offensive – the final and biggest military operation of the Turkish War of Independence - as a “symbol of the Turkish nation’s revival.”

The resolution and determination displayed during the great victories prove that the Turkish nation has enough “power and courage to overcome every kind of difficulty,” he said.

“The prices that our ancestors paid in order to make this soil our homeland, and our nation’s determination in fighting -- which has become a model for the entire globe -- is the greatest guarantor of our republic,” Erdoğan added.

PM Binali Yıldırım also lauded the “firm stance” of the Turkish people in establishing the security of the nation, its flag and independence.