NEW YORK
A unique type of friendship was born among the peoples of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand out of the allies’ ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in World War I, Turkey's consul-general in New York said Thursday.
"The Gallipoli peninsula where the soldiers of different nations lie in peace side by side stands as an eternal monument of peace and friendship," Consul-General Ertan Yalcin said.
Yalcin made his remarks at a conference commemorating the centennial of the campaign that Australians and New Zealanders call “Anzac Day.”
Eight months into the war, on April 25, 1915, allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula – Gelibolu in Turkish. The troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait on Turkey's Aegean coast to allied fleets, allowing them to seize the Ottoman capital Istanbul and knock the Turks out of the war.
Allied forces, however, encountered strong and courageous resistance from the Turks, and the campaign turned out to be a costly failure.
The price was paid with the lives of tens of thousands of Turkish nationals and soldiers, along with tens of thousands of Europeans, approximately 7,000-8,000 Australians and nearly 3,000 New Zealanders.
"After Gallipoli, New Zealand had a greater confidence on its distinct identity and a greater pride on the international contribution it could make," said Peta Conn, New Zealand's consul-general in New York.
She said the mutual respect earned during fighting formed a long-lasting bond not only between Australians and New Zealanders, but also among the Anzacs and their Turkish counterparts.
Gallipoli is considered a core part of Australian and New Zealand history and among their earliest international engagement.
"The Gallipoli campaign did not create Australia's nationhood. But the courage and sacrifice shown by the soldiers in the face of adversity helped to forge a national identity," said Natalie Roche, acting consul-general of Australia in New York.
She said this year's observation of the Anzac Day would be one of the most important commemorations in the lives of Australians.
An estimated 8,000 Australians are expected at the official commemorations April 25. Together with approximately 2,000 New Zealanders, they will make a 30-hour journey to Turkey to join thousands of others visiting in and around the peninsula.
