site.btaTurkiye Celebrates Victory Day on August 30

Spec. for BTA by Nahide Deniz
On August 30, Turkey celebrates Victory Day, the 101st anniversary of the victory at Dumlupinar in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, which paved the way for the ousting of the occupying forces from Asia Minor.
The battle was preceded by the Great Offensive of the Turkish Army under the command of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. On August 30, 1922, the Turkish army won a crushing victory against the Greek troops. The outcome of the battle, which took place in Kutahya province in western Turkiye, determined the overall outcome of the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923).
The victory of the Turkish army set the stage for nine-month negotiations that ended with the signing of the Lausanne Peace Treaty in July 1923.
August 30 is celebrated in Turkey as an official victory holiday and holiday of the Turkish army. On this day, millions of Turks decorate balconies, windows with the Turkish national flag, with posters of Ataturk, and thousands flock to his mausoleum in Ankara.
In the adress he published on this occasion, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Turkiye's centenary vision: "On the day of the 101st anniversary of the Great Offensive, which crowned the victory of our nation in the liberation struggle, I pay special respect and gratitude to the memory of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and all the warriors who heroically died for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. With the new steps we will take in the coming period, we will strengthen our country and raise Turkiye above the level of modern civilizations," he said.