Following is the message President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued on August 30 Victory Day:

We are happy to celebrate the 99thanniversary of the great victory which is one of the cornerstones of our centuries-old glorious history.

I congratulate our nation, the Turkish Cypriots and each one of our citizens living in different countries of the world on the August 30 Victory Day.

I thank on behalf of myself and my nation all our friends as well as our brothers and sisters who share our joy on this day which is a source of pride for us.

On this occasion, I remember with grace Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic and the Commander-in-Chief of our War of Independence, esteemed members of our Great National Assembly and gallant soldiers of our military.

The Great Offensive, started under the commander-in-chief of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal on August 26, 1922, ended in a decisive victory in Dumlupınar following the 4-day-long hand-to-hand combats.

The Turkish nation proclaimed with this glorious victory, which went down in world’s history of wars, that it would never bow down to any pressure in its homeland forged with the blood of martyrs.

August 30 is one of our history’s most critical milestones when our nation thwarted the hopes of imperialist intentions, which made estimates on its existence, and laid the groundwork for the foundation of our Republic.

These lands, which were made our homeland in Malazgirt in 1071, were once again acknowledged as our eternal homeland with this victory that our nation won despite all kinds of hardship and impossibilities.

The spirit, faith and will, which inspired the great victory, guide our nation today, too, just as it did 99 years ago.

The most important manifestations of this are our achievements in every area, from defense industry, economy and foreign policy to energy and our fight against proxy terrorist organization that threaten our country’s unity and integrity.

Today, our country has become a hope for not only its 84 million citizens living inside its borders, but also for its hundreds of millions of friends as well as brothers and sisters living in places that are dearly to itself, from the Balkans and Asia to Africa and Europe.

We will inshallah not frustrate these hopes with Allah’s help, the support of our friends, whose hearts beat with us, and the heartfelt prayers of our august nation.

Despite the ill-intentioned among us, we will continue to defend the rights of the oppressed and endeavor in order for peace, justice and freedom to prevail in the entire world.

Under the guidance of the faith that rose up in Dumlupınar 99 years ago, we as the 84 million will march towards our bright future in unity, peace and brotherhood.

With these thoughts in my mind, I remember with gratitude all the heroes of our War of Independence, first and foremost Ghazi Mustafa Kemal.

I wish Allah’s mercy upon our august martyrs and ghazis who sacrificed themselves for the sake of our homeland, adhan, flag and independence.

Happy August 30 Victory Day to my nation and all my brothers and sisters in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus!”