President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday said Türkiye has no option but to remain strong and united amid growing regional challenges
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (Malazgirt) at the Malazgirt Battlefield National Historical Park in the eastern province of Muş, Erdoğan said Türkiye would not bow to pressure when its sovereignty and future were at stake.
“When necessary, we can set everything else aside, but when it comes to our homeland and the future of our state and nation, we bow to no one,” Erdoğan said. “In this geography, we have no other choice but to be strong, united and together.”
The annual commemoration marks the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, in which Seljuk forces led by Sultan Alparslan defeated the Byzantine army, paving the way for increased Turkish settlement in Anatolia.
On Friday, Aug. 26, 1071, Alparslan led his troops in prayer before advancing against the Byzantine army commanded by Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes.
