The 99th Anniversary of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory and the Martyrs’ Day
18.03.2014
Below is H.E. President Abdullah Gül’s message on the occasion of the 99th Anniversary of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory and the Martyrs’ Day
“Today, we are celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Victory, which was written in golden letters in our glorious history. We remember with gratitude our martyrs representing self-sacrifice and altruism on this day of pride.
Our nation has always acted in union and solidarity against menaces posed to its existence and it has protected our land at the cost of its life. This land is a present given to the next generations with the love for the flag and nation by our martyrs and heroes and heroines some of whose names are unknown. This land is also our only asset that we will protect forever. These people became eternal symbols for our freedom and independence through their honorable stances and superhuman struggles.
This elevated spirit and national awareness have enabled our nation and military to bring other military forces to surrender.
Our nation, in the same understanding, made history on March 18, 1915 despite many difficulties in Çanakkale. Thanks to this quintessential victory that our heroes of all ages who sacrificed their lives for the sake of our national and spiritual values made our enemies confess that ‘Çanakkale is impassable!”. The whole world, thus, witnessed a resurrection of our nation.
Çanakkale is both a monument of pride and a monument of sorrow. Our glorious martyrs, who left their mark in history through their unprecedented self sacrifice in Çanakkale, are all too great to be told in words as in the poem entitled ‘to the Martyrs of Çanakkale’ by Mehmet Akif Ersoy.
The Çanakkale Battle, in which thousands of youths who did not know each other at all made struggle by coming to Çanakkale from the four corners of the world, differs from other battles in that they helped establish permanent and strong friendships between different nations. Çanakkale, where these people from diverse nations are lying side by side, is also a unique example that reminds humanity of the value and meaning of peace in the face of the bitter and brutal truths of war.
The Çanakkale Battle left an inerasable mark in history and deeply affected the destiny of our nation. The bright and glorious victories we won both at sea and on land launched a new process for our nation that continues to this day.
One of the most important culminations of the Çanakkale Battle for us was that it brought Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to the stage of history. Atatürk, through his military genius and great capacity for command, helped the land wars to end with our victory.
Our independence struggle, which was made under Atatürk’s leadership following the Çanakkale Battle, reached its ultimate target with perseverence, resoluteness and heroism and the eternal monument of our nation’s determination to live freely and independently was raised.
Such meaningful days remind us of the great costs paid and our forefathers’ resoluteness so that we could arrive at this day.
I hereby would like to reiterate on 99th Anniversary of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory and the Martyrs’ Day that the Turkish nation has always cherished its martyrs and war veterans. It has never forgotten and will never forget them.
We as a generation who are proud of our history, our heroes and heroines will protect the legacy of our martyrs with an unshakable determination and carry our country to the even brighter future that it deserves. We will continue to walk together to our targets in union and solidarity.
On this very day, I hereby remember Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, all our other heroes and heroines who passed away and our martyrs with gratitude. May they rest in peace. I would like to offer my gratitude to our war veterans and extend my love and best wishes to all our citizens.”
