Erdogan remembers fallen soldiers on Anzac Day

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Gallipoli on the occasion of the Anzac Day, calling on generations to come to protect the "message of friendship" developed between the nations during the battle.

Anzac Day, which is marked annually on April 25, is a national day of remembrance of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers, who fought and died during the Battle of Canakkale of the World War I.

In a written message, Erdogan said: "Today, we commemorate all the soldiers from every nation who lost lives in the Battle of Canakkale."

"I hope that [Battle of] Canakkale will set an example for all societies in terms of transforming common pains into a tool of friendship, love, and peace, not creating new hostilities," he said.

"On the occasion of the Anzac Day, we reiterate our call for peace through our guests here in our country," the president added.

"All of us have great responsibilities for new wars not be broken out and the next generations to live in a peaceful world."

Many Anzac troops and their descendants make pilgrimages to Turkey on Anzac Day, April 25, to mark the soldiers’ sacrifices and the friendship between nations that developed in the decades since.

The Battle of Canakkale which took place in the northwestern Turkish province of Canakkale's Gelibolu (Gallipoli) district in 1915 marked a turnaround in favor of the Turks against the Allied forces during World War I.

Tens of thousands of Turkish nationals and soldiers died, along with tens of thousands of Europeans, plus around 7,000-8,000 Australians and nearly 3,000 New Zealanders, referred together as Anzac troops.

* Writing by Nilay Kar Onum