Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Messages of unity highlighted a brief speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday in Ahlat. In this eastern town, a Seljuk army set out for a critical battle against Byzantine forces 954 years ago.
In a speech in front of an Ottoman military band mehter and a yurt in the town located in Bitlis province, Erdoğan invoked the symbolism of the Ottomans, including the mythical Red Apple, or “Kızılelma,” as he vowed a continued Turkish presence in Anatolia.
Erdoğan mainly focused on the state of terror-free Türkiye initiative as the anniversary was a perfect occasion for the president to tout the plan that seeks to end terrorism, which had plagued particularly eastern Türkiye for decades.
“We are in the final stage. With a little more patience, endeavor and caution, we will conclude it and we will accomplish what we aimed for smoothly,” he said at the event held to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) in 1071.
In Ahlat, the president was accompanied by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the architect of the initiative, as well as leaders of small parties that endorsed Erdoğan in the 2023 general election.
For proponents of the initiative, “unity” is a keyword, and Erdoğan highlighted it again, as he has in past speeches. “Our unity that instills hope to the oppressed and fear in our enemies will be preserved more strongly,” Erdoğan said. Before Bahçeli unveiled the initiative for the PKK’s disarmament in 2024, he and Erdoğan had repeatedly highlighted the need for Turkish-Kurdish unity in the face of Israel’s expansionist policies in the region and forming “a home front.” The PKK was founded in the late 1970s with the separatist goal of a “Kurdistan” and launched its first acts of violence in the 1980s. It grew in strength by exploiting Kurds disillusioned with past state policies.
“Our history is full of examples that show when Turks, Kurds and Arabs are united and love each other to obey Allah’s orders, when we walk toward the same goal, they accomplished many things in Türkiye and abroad,” Erdoğan said. “This is how the Battle of Malazgirt was won, this is how the doors of Jerusalem were opened (to Saladin). This is how Istanbul was conquered,” Erdoğan said. “This is the same spirit that barred the enemy from crossing Çanakkale,” he said, referring to the legendary Gallipoli, or Gelibolu, campaign during World War I, where the future founder of the Republic of Türkiye, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and outnumbered Ottoman troops staved off the Allied forces.
“The War of Independence, in which we made even the most potent forces kneel, was once again brought to victory with this same spirit despite all hardships,” he said, referring to Atatürk’s campaign for independence of Türkiye as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing.
“We will close ranks, reinforce our brotherhood and renew our commitment. We will repel all attacks targeting our unity and solidarity, shoulder to shoulder, together. By Allah’s will, and our nation’s support, we will leave a great and powerful Türkiye to future generations. Allah willing, this century will go down in history as the Century of Türkiye. On this path we have taken for a more influential, respected and prosperous Türkiye, we will not fall into anyone’s trap or be deceived by any scheme. We will continue to walk with confident and determined steps toward a Türkiye free from terrorism, a goal that disturbs and unsettles our enemies, fully aware of what we are doing and what we aim for. Without spoiling the legacy of our martyrs and veterans, we will work together to build a brighter Türkiye, where peace, tranquility, and love are at the center.”
President Erdoğan, stating that they have suffered greatly on this path, paid heavy prices and faced many attacks from both inside and out, emphasized that they have overcome them all.
