President Erdoğan visits Anıtkabir as Turkey marks Victory Day
Turkey is celebrating the Victory Day on Aug. 30, marking the 92nd anniversary of the Turkish victory against Greek forces at the Battle of Dumlupınar, the final battle of the War of Independence.
The celebrations began with an official ceremony at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, which was attended by political leaders and military commanders.
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan, Parliament Speaker Cemil Ãiçek, Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄlu, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ãzel, Constitutional Court President HaÅim Kılıç, deputy prime ministers Bülent Arınç, Ali Babacan, Yalçın AkdoÄan and Numan KurtulmuÅ were present at the ceremony.
Main opposition Republican Peopleâs Party (CHP) leader Kemal KılıçdaroÄlu also attended the ceremony although his party boycotted ErdoÄanâs oath-taking ceremony in Parliament on Aug. 28. However, KılıçdaroÄlu did not attend the program at the Ãankaya Palace following the visit to Anıtkabir, while Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli preferred to skip the entire program in Ankara and join the celebrations in Afyon.
President ErdoÄan left a wreath on Atatürk's Mausoleum and the group observed a minute's silence afterwards, which was followed by the recitation of the Turkish national anthem.
ErdoÄan will later attend a military parade and host a reception at the Ãankaya Presidential Palace in the evening.
Victory Day, marked on Aug. 30, was won under the leadership of Atatürk. The victory over the Greek military on Aug. 30, 1922 was the last large engagement between the two armies. The war began...
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