We celebrate the Victory Day!

My fellow citizens, dear friends,

You will recall that, at the beginning of the Victory week I had pointed to the fact that we have been celebrating these days of 1922 ever since, as a period when we took the first steps in a great leap towards liberating our land, freeing our people and establishing of our cherished Republic.

Today is the 90^th anniversary of the Battle of Dumlupınar, also named Battle of the Commander-in-Chief, where the national army, ably commanded by our great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his brethren-in-arms dealt the definitive blow to those exploited by the then-imperialists. May the souls of all those who participated in this struggle, who extended much-needed support, who fell during and after the battle and who, surviving the battle, carried the honour and privilege of being distinguished veterans rest in heavenly peace and blessed glory.

This result is not only a great military victory. It has also proven that, with practically nothing, the Turkish nation, all Anatolians could indeed achieve objectives beyond impossible and above extraordinary. It is thus not surprising that Turkey is where it is, thanks to the faith that our nation has for itself and to its determination never, ever to give up. The people, country and state that make Turkey have persevered in unison on the path blazed first by this great victory and turned our country into a donor, a regional leader, a moral example and an opinion maker in the international community.

At the cost of repeating myself, I reiterate: we celebrate now and will forever do, with the spirit of 1922, our Victory Day, as well as our Victory Week, not as a vainglorious show on our enemies past, but as the first successful step in our pursuit to establish our free and independent nation state, as a result of the firm stance of the whole Anatolian people against imperialism.