UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER
By Seda Sevencan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday celebrated the country’s 102nd Victory Day, commemorating the resounding defeat of the occupying Greek armies at the hands of Turks in the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922.
“On this important day, one of the critical milestones in our history, I congratulate the August 30 Victory Day of our beloved nation, our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters, and our millions of citizens all over the world. I extend my most heartfelt gratitude to our guests at our missions abroad who share our joy on the Victory Day,” Erdogan said.
The president emphasized The Great Victory, which Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk described as “the immortal monument of the Turkish Nation’s idea of freedom and independence,” has eternally registered the existence of the nation existence on the Anatolian lands.
He further said that with the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief on Aug. 30, the occupation forces were “decisively defeated, the axis of imperialism was shattered, and the doors to the proclamation of the Republic were thrown wide open.”
“With the Great Victory, the Turkish Nation once again declared to the whole world that it would not accept captivity, that it would not let shackles be put on its will, and that it would never compromise on living independently in its own homeland,” he said.
In his message, Erdogan also reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to aiding oppressed populations worldwide.
"We are mobilizing all our means and resources to stop the conflicts, oppressions, and massacres occurring in different parts of the world, particularly in Gaza," he said, pledging support to all oppressed people, regardless of their identity or faith.
Also, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan congratulated the nation on Victory Day.
"The Victory of August 30, which is the greatest symbol of our nation's struggle for independence, is the strongest expression of an epic written through hardships and our spirit of national unity," Fidan said on X.
“We continue on our path with determination today, with the same determination and faith we had then,” he added.
Türkiye was occupied by allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918).
The foreign occupation prompted Türkiye’s War of Independence in 1919, in which Turkish forces – led by Ataturk – eventually drove the invaders from Anatolia.
From Aug. 26 to Aug. 30 of 1922, Turkish forces fought the Battle of Dumlupinar (considered part of the Greco-Turkish War) in Türkiye’s western Kutahya province, where Greek forces were decisively defeated.
By the end of 1922, all foreign forces had left the territories which would collectively become the new Republic of Türkiye one year later.