Officials mark 110th anniversary of key Gallipoli victory

ÇANAKKALE

A crowd of local and international officials on Aug. 10 marked the 110th anniversary of a key Ottoman victory against Allied forces during the Gallipoli campaign in the northwestern city of Çanakkale.

Çanakkale Governor Ömer Toraman and Second Corps Commander Rasim Yaldız, along with political party figures and foreign representatives, laid a wreath at a monument in the Gallipoli peninsula before the gathering observed a moment of silence.

Politicians shared messages on social media to commemorate the anniversary. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan praised the Anafartalar Victory, achieved through an “epic struggle,” in a post on X. “I remember all our heroes, martyrs and veterans, especially [modern Türkiye founder] Gazi Mustafa Kemal [Atatürk], with mercy and gratitude," he wrote.

The spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ömer Çelik, called the victory “one of the pillars of our nation’s will to live freely.”

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel described it as “the brightest symbol of our nation’s will for independence."

“On the anniversary of this great victory, I commemorate Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the hero of Anafartalar, and all our martyrs with gratitude, mercy and respect," he added.

A message on the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) X account also honored Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms with “grace and gratitude.”