President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a written statement on Thursday on the 107th anniversary of the Erzurum Congress, a key episode in Türkiye’s fight for independence after World War I.
Erdoğan said the congress was one of the defining turning points that united the Turkish nation around a common ideal, with the determination to achieve liberation and set out its vision for the future.
"This profound awareness continues to inspire us today and gives us strength as we move toward the future. Without compromising our unity and solidarity, we continue to work with the same determination to make our country even stronger. Today, I once again commemorate with the utmost respect the members of the congress, who declared that 'the homeland within the national borders is an indivisible whole,' categorically rejected any mandate or foreign protection, and gave their full support to the national forces. On the anniversary of the Erzurum Congress, I respectfully and gratefully remember all the heroes of our War of Independence, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal, and extend my heartfelt greetings to all my fellow citizens," he said, referring to Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye.
The Erzurum Congress convened on July 23, 1919, at a time when imperial powers were attempting to partition Ottoman territories in the aftermath of World War I.
