ŞENTOP'S MESSAGE ON THE 108TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAVAL VICTORY OF ÇANAKKALE

Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, noted the following in his message:

On the 108th anniversary of our Çanakkale Victory, we commemorate the sainted heroes of the great epic with mercy and gratitude.

Gelibolu, Arıburnu, Seddülbahir, Conkbayırı, Anafartalar...

And on many fronts from sea to land, while a generation ran to martyrdom without hesitation, they fought the unique and glorious struggles of our history in all its truth. We pay tribute to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Commander-in-Chief of our Independence Struggle, and the great commanders of our great victories, from the Dardanelles Epic to our War of Independence, and to the hundreds of thousands of sons of our homeland, from Seyit Corporal to Lady Mujahideen Hatice, who refused captivity and gave their lives for our independence.

Our beloved nation, as in our history, will never allow those who want to interfere with its sovereignty and will, never submit to any pressure and tyranny, will continue to walk hand in hand to our prosperous future from the 100th anniversary of the Republic by further strengthening our unity and solidarity.

Today, we are not only physically present in Çanakkale, but we are also making progress in learning about our history as it relates to the soil, every square inch of which is marked by martyrdom. We do not only commemorate our ancestors with monuments, we know that it is our duty to remember them with knowledge and to understand their fighting spirit. We thank our young people who open new doors to life by reading, wondering and thinking in order to understand our history and civilization. May this wise approach of yours set an example for the world.

108 years ago, we see in your eyes the sparks of the fire that burned in the hearts of young heroes in Çanakkale with the love of homeland. As we build our cities and our future in these difficult times, we will never stop walking, our hope strong with you and our future sure with you. We have not given up, we will not give up!

While we live the spirit of Çanakkale with the words of Yahya Kemal, Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Arif Nihat Asya, Mehmet Akif, we commemorate many master poets who carry our nation, our belief and our ideals from their hearts to our hearts with their unique poems that translate our love for our homeland. With the lines that fell into his heart with the inspiration of the moment when our Poet of Independence received the news of the Çanakkale Victory; "Isn't it true that faith is one in our front; joy is one, sorrow is one, purpose is the same, conscience is one" May our unity and solidarity last forever. Happy 108th anniversary of our Çanakkale Victory.