President Erdoğan, opposition leaders visit Atatürk's mausoleum to mark Victory Day

Photos: AA

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Turkey is marking the 99th anniversary of Victory Day, which commemorates the Battle of Dumlupınar, a battle that ended the presence of Greece's army in Anatolia.

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, along with senior government and high-ranking military officials, as well as opposition leaders, laid a wreath at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the capital city of Ankara.

"We are increasing the deterrence of Turkish Armed Forces, which is the apple of our nation's eyes, in every field with steps taken in the defense industry," Erdoğan wrote in the Anıtkabir memorial book.

"We are carrying Turkey to a bright future in line with the goals you have set for us," the president said while affirming that the country "is in safe hands."

Celebrations in Taksim, İstanbul.

Earlier, Erdoğan also issued a statement to mark Victory Day.

"We are in the bliss of achieving the 99th anniversary of the Great Victory, one of the cornerstones of our centuries-old glorious history. I mark the honor of the August 30 Victory Day of our nation, the Turkish Cypriots, and our citizens living in various countries around the world," Erdoğan said in a written message.

Noting that August 30 is one of the most critical turning points in the country's history, Erdoğan said, "The spirit, belief, and the will that inspired the Great Victory are drawing the direction for our nation today, just as it did 99 years ago."

Turkey will continue to defend the rights of the oppressed against the oppressors and to strive for peace, justice, and freedom to prevail all over the world, he added. (EMK/VK)