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Turkey marks anniversary of Independence War
The celebrations came amid opposition claims that a government plan to introduce political and cultural reforms for Turkey's Kurds will lead the country to division. The military, which sees itself as the guardian of Turkey's unitary and secular regime, was by no means humble in this year's celebrations, the main theme of which was "Strong army, strong Turkey."
Army members flocked to Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, led by Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ. Land Forces Commander Gen. Işık Koşaner, Naval Forces Commander Gen. Eşref Uğur Yiğit, Air Forces Commander Gen. Hasan Aksay, Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Atila Işık, Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Aslan Güner and other army members attended the ceremony.
Başbuğ laid a wreath of red and white carnations in front of Atatürk's tomb, followed by a minute of silence and the singing of the national anthem.
»» Click here to see more photos from Victory Day celebrations.. |
Signing the official Anıtkabir memorial guestbook at the Misak-ı Milli (National Pact) Tower, the general wrote: “Great Atatürk, we stand before you with pride on the 87th anniversary of Victory Day. That was an unprecedented battle, laying the groundwork for the Republic of Turkey. Everyone who lives under the roofs of an independent state today owes much to that day. The fundamental principles of the republic you founded, its national and territorial integrity and the love for Atatürk in the hearts of the Turkish nation will live forever. May you rest in peace.”
An official ceremony was held at General Staff headquarters in Ankara. The ceremony was attended by politicians and statesmen. Among the participants were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç, Supreme Court of Appeals President Hasan Gerçeker, Council of State President Mustafa Birden, Higher Education Board (YÖK) head Yusuf Ziya Özcan, Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Türker, Ankara Governor Kemal Önal and Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek. Erdoğan and Baykal engaged in a brief and apparently warm conversation before the ceremony, observers noted.
 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chats with CHP leader Deniz Baykal's wife, Olcay, as Baykal looks on during a ceremony at the General Staff headquarters yesterday. Erdoğan and Baykal, who have exchanged a lot of harsh criticism recently over the government's Kurdish initiative, engaged in a brief and apparently warm conversation before the ceremony. |
Celebrations in İstanbul were held on Vatan Street with the attendance of members of the armed forces, the governor, the mayor and the city's police chief as well as other top bureaucrats of the city. Brig. Gen. Osman Gazi Kandemir stressed that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) were determined to protect the unitary structure of the state.
“The victory won on Aug. 30 [1922] is a strong sign of the greatness of the Turkish nation,” noted Kandemir, adding that the nation and the military are indispensable elements of the society.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli criticized once more the government's recent efforts to settle the long-standing Kurdish question through democratic means in a message he released yesterday on the occasion of the Victory Day. “Even though the aims of those who wanted to destroy the Turkish nation yesterday are so similar to the aims of those who want to damage fraternal ties among our nation, everyone must know that such treacherous attempts will not prove successful,” read Bahçeli's message.
Turkey's four biggest soccer teams, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, also celebrated the nation's Victory Day in separate messages they released.
In the meantime, the uncle of a soldier who was killed in a clash with terrorists two years ago fainted during a military parade in eastern Ardahan province. The wife of the man, Laçin Özdemir, said he fainted after remembering his fallen nephew during the parade.
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