ISTANBUL

Türkiye on Saturday celebrated the 103rd anniversary of the Aug. 30 Victory Day, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighting the day as a symbol of the Turkish nation’s determination for freedom, resilience, and eternal independence.

"As a nation, we are having the joy of feeling once again the pride and enthusiasm of August 30 Victory Day, one of the milestones and golden pages in our history," Erdogan said in a statement.

"This glorious day is one of the strongest embodiments of the unprecedented will, the unwavering faith and the heroism the Turkish nation displayed for independence and the future," he added.

Erdogan said that the “Great Victory,” achieved through the army’s patriotism and the nation’s determination, “smashed the chains of slavery,” laid the foundations of the Republic, and stands as a symbol of the nation's revival, struggle for "existence", and "eternal independence."

"This is such a great victory that it inspired hope not only for the Turkish nation but for other oppressed nations as well, becoming a symbol of the ideal of independence," he added.

He said that through this victory, the Turkish nation once again proved to the world that it “can never be subjugated, never accepts slavery, or never compromises its independence.”

The Turkish president emphasized that the Great Victory is not merely a historic memory, but “a guide acting as a source of light” for the nation’s future.

He said that today’s responsibility is to carry the “independence torch lit on August 30” into a "stronger future" through "unity and solidarity", stressing that in the Century of Türkiye, the foremost duty is to make the homeland, entrusted by the sacrifices of ancestors, “more powerful and more prosperous.”

He paid tribute to the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, his comrades-in-arms, and all martyrs, honored the veterans, and congratulated the nation on Victory Day.

Later, the president, accompanied by senior state officials, visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, where he paid tribute and signed the special guestbook, eiterating Türkiye’s determination to safeguard its security, stability, and future against new challenges.

In a message on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan said: “Happy 103rd anniversary of our Aug. 30 Victory Day, which crowned our War of Independence with glory and honor. I commemorate with mercy our martyrs, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and remember our veterans with gratitude.”

Victory Day marks the final battle in western Anatolia against Greek forces in 1922 and is dedicated to the Turkish Armed Forces.

Turkish forces fought the Battle of Dumlupinar from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30 in what is now Türkiye’s central Kutahya province, where the invading Greek army was decisively defeated.

By the end of 1922, all foreign forces had been expelled from territories that collectively became the Republic of Türkiye one year later.