Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Anıtkabir
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said that increasing threats and attacks on the country would not dissuade the country from its goals.
"The increasing threats, violations and attacks on our country’s sovereignty will never dissuade ud from our ideals and goals,” he stated during a speech in Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The Turkish leader’s message comes on the 96th anniversary of Victory Day, commemorating victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, in Turkey's Aegean province of Kütahya in 1922, as part of the Great Offensive, which saw invading Greek forces' eventual defeat at the hands of the Turkish army.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Parliament Speaker Binali Yıldırım attend a ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to mark the 96th anniversary Victory Day on August 30, 2018 in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey on Thursday celebrated the 96th anniversary of Victory Day, which commemorates the resounding defeat of the Greek forces at hands of the Turks in the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922.
Erdoğan marks 96th anniversary of Victory Day
President Donald Trump then ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports, which caused the Turkish lira to lose value against the U.S. dollar.
Turkey in its turn increased tariffs on several U.S. products, including alcohol, tobacco and cars, according to a new presidential decree published in the official gazette.
Celebrations for the 96th anniversary of Victory Day, which commemorates the resounding defeat of the Greek forces at hands of the Turks in the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922, gripped Turkey.Turkey marks 96th anniversary of Victory Day
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Renowned Turkish historian Ilber Ortayli has said Turkey’s Victory Day, which commemorates the resounding defeat of Greek forces in the 1922 Battle of Dumlupinar, gives a message to the world that “we are here to stay”.In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Ortayli, an history professor at Istanbul's Galatasaray University, recalled that Seljuk Turks took control over Anatolia after the Battle of Dorylaeum with the then crusaders during the First Crusade in July 1, 1097, near the city of Dorylaeum located close to Turkey’s Eskisehir province.This allowed Turks to settle in Anatolia.Turkish domination in Anatolia began with the Battle of Malazgirt in Aug. 26, 1071, which saw Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Alparslan defeat a Byzantine army.‘US to lose region if it loses Turkey,’ says expertAbout the 1922 victory of Turkish forces over Greeks, the historian said: “Two factors were behind their dominance.“First, we [Turks] took control of not only the villages and the cities, but also the mountains,” Ortayli said.The second factor was the power of language that helped cement the dominance of Turks in Anatolia.“It was not in the bureaucracy or the madrasah… but in the army. In terms of language, the army was Turkish,” Ortayli said.French leader slammed for his remarks on TurkeyHe added that the inherited seminomadic tribal order of the Seljuks had also helped Turks to reinforce their dominance in Anatolia.Ortayli also pointed out that Anatolia was not a rich region when Turks had first arrived in the region.“However, for the first time in history, Turkish population was so dense in one region,” he said.Entente States' futile aims"The most populous region of the Turkic world is the Asia Minor. In no other country of the world, Turks have been so packed.Turkey to prioritize EU reforms, expects to see results: FM“There are Balkan countries… which we have left, there are also northern Syria and northern Mesopotamia.“If you include those, it makes a very big country. There was no population that was so crowded along the River Volga, or in Crimea, or even in Iran, or in Central Asia... For this reason, Turkey became an indispensable homeland."He recalled that the then global powers wanted Turks to leave Anatolia.“They [the then Entente States, also known as Allied Powers] tried to get it [Anatolia], but they failed to achieve their aim," Ortayli said, adding that the Entente states, especially Britain, wanted Turks to leave Anatolia on the grounds that they were supposedly “outlanders” and thus could not be a part of Anatolia.Turkey will shape the region’s future: ErdoğanTherefore, Turkey’s decisive victory on Aug. 30, 1922, which was later “legitimized” by the Lausanne Agreement, was a “we are here to stay” message to the world, Ortayli said.The well-known Turkish historian also recalled the Greek Commander Ioannis Metaxas’s warning against launching an offensive in Anatolia.Metaxas had refused to launch the offensive and told Greek politicians that the war in Turkey could not be won, Ortayli said.“The Turks developed a national feeling,” the author, David Fromkin, quoted Metaxas as saying in his book “A Peace to End All Peace”.“And they mean to fight for their freedom and independence… They realize that Asia Minor is their country and that we are invaders. For them, for their national feelings, the historical rights on which we base our claims, have no influence.Atatürk 'war genius'“Whether they are right or wrong is another question. What matters is their feelings,” according to the book.Ortayli said although the Turkish army had lacked even the basic equipment and weapons against the Greek Army, they were more experienced in fighting the war.The historian also highlighted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s ability to command the Turkish people, which, Ortayli said, had boosted the war-weary Turkish people’s energy to take part in their independence war.“Atatürk is undoubtedly a war genius who dared to do things which some other [Turkish commanders] could not dare to do."No other commander tried to rescue Bursa, Antalya or Izmir," he said.Ortayli added: “This war was won by Atatürk's military and political prodigy.”Turkey was occupied by allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918).The foreign occupation prompted Turkey’s War of Independence in 1919, in which Turkish forces -- led by Gen. Mustafa Kemal -- eventually drove the invaders from Anatolia.From Aug. 26 to Aug. 30 of 1922, Turkish forces fought the Battle of Dumlupinar (considered part of the Greco-Turkish War) in Turkey’s western Kutahya province, where Greek forces were decisively defeated.By the end of 1922, all foreign forces had left the territories which would collectively become the new Republic of Turkey one year later.
Turkey's Victory Day tells world 'we are here to stay’
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Wednesday said Turkey's economic infrastructure was strong enough to rid itself of the current turmoil, which has been recently targeted by speculators amid a raft of newly imposed U.S. sanctions.Speaking at the Media Oscars Award Ceremony held by the Radio Television Journalists Association, Erdoğan said: "They want to put pressure on us by using the economy."Political tensions between Ankara and Washington had sparked worries in markets this month, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure over an American pastor who faces terrorism-related charges in Turkey.‘US to lose region if it loses Turkey,’ says expertThe Turkish lira has been losing its value against the U.S. dollar past several weeks after the U.S. president doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium."It is impossible for us to step back with such threats," Erdoğan said."There are structural problems to be solved in Turkey's economy. We already know them and we are working on the solution," Erdoğan added.Erdoğan hosts Iranian FM in AnkaraTurkey's Victory Day tells world 'we are here to stay’
'Turkey's economy strong enough,' Erdoğan says
The U.S. is trying to damage Turkey's prestige, said a Turkish expert on Wednesday.“The U.S. is acting on a policy to sideline Turkey and damage Turkey’s prestige,” said Mesut Hakki Casin, department head at Istanbul Istinye University's department of international relations.Relations between Ankara and Washington have been tense in recent months over the detention of U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey over terror-related charges.According to Casin, the Trump administration is trying to capitalize on the Brunson issue domestically for the upcoming midterm Congress elections to be held in November.US aiding Saudi war crimes in Yemen: NY Times“[U.S. President Donald] Trump was aiming to conduct election propaganda by welcoming the pastor from the airplane before the midterm House and Senate elections,” Casin said. Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system and the U.S. threat to withhold F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets from Ankara have also strained ties between the two NATO allies.Casin said Ankara would find alternate suppliers and resort to judicial proceedings against Washington if the U.S. failed to deliver the jointly produced fighter jets."Turkey, along with its $40 billion defense budget and control over NATO’s southern flank as well as three continents, will have been lost to the U.S.," said Casin, adding that the U.S. would be unable to remain in the region without Turkish support.Turkey to prioritize EU reforms, expects to see results: FMAnother danger to relations between the two countries is the U.S.'s provision of large amounts of military equipment to terrorist groups in Syria, such as the YPG/PKK, which threaten Turkish interests and security, Casin said.“Images showing the U.S. deployment of advanced air defense systems for PYD/PKK terrorists in Syria constitute a flagrant violation of the 5th and 6th articles of [the] NATO [Treaty]. These [systems] will block Turkey in its fight against terrorist elements in the region,” said Casin.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including many women and children.Turkey will shape the region’s future: ErdoğanExploration and extraction of energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean is also an issue of contention for Turkey and its neighbors.According to Casin, the U.S. is conducting maneuvers through its military bases in the region in order to block Turkish exploration of hydrocarbons in the area, ultimately aiming to “eliminate" Turkey’s exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean.Casin explained that failure by the U.S. to improve relations would lead it to “lose Turkey and cause Turkey to leave NATO”.
‘US to lose region if it loses Turkey,’ says expert