Turks in Africa commemorate Victory Day

By Hassan Isilow

PRETORIA, South Africa (AA) - Turkish citizens living in Africa on Friday marked their country’s 97th Victory Day anniversary, which commemorates the resounding defeat of occupying Greek armies at the hands of Turks in the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922.

“My dear Turkish brothers and sisters. Thank you for being here tonight with us. Today, we celebrate the 97th anniversary of the Great Vicory of the Turkish Nation, which marked the re-sanctification of Anatolia as our homeland in great pride and excitement,'' Turkish Ambassador to South Africa Elif Comoglu Ulgen said in a speech in the capital Pretoria.

Ulgen also read out a message of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the audience which also included several top South African military representatives and defense attaches of foreign diplomatic missions from different countries.

She said South Africa remains Turkey's largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are pleased to note that our bilateral trade volume has almost reached the level of $2 billion, However, this figure does not represent the full potential of our economies,” the ambassador said.

She noted the presence of many Turkish organizations and businesses in South Africa, citing the examples of cultural Yunus Emre Institute, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Maarif Foundation.

Ulgen also noted that Turkish Airline has offices in South Africa and the airline flies directly from major cities in the country on daily basis.

“We are committed to further grow and deepen relations between our countries and we look forward to see more of Turkish investments all around South Africa. Equally we are encouraging South Africans to invest in Turkey and do more business,” she added.

- Uganda

in Uganda, officers of the Uganda Armed Forces and military attaches from foreign diplomatic missions joined Turkish nationals to celebrate the day at Turkish ambassador’s residence.

“Today we are celebrating the 97th anniversary of the August 30th Victory Day, which is one of the golden rings in our chain of victories of our glorious past,” Ambassador Kerem Alp said in a speech.

“On this occasion, I commemorate Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Commander-in-Chief of our War of Independence, the honorable members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and all the soldiers of our heroic army who gifted us this victory, with gratitude and respect,” Alp added.

- Somalia

Turkish mission in Somalia also marked the Victory Day with an event in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Somali government officials -- including Somali defense minister and Armed forces commander Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rage -- attended the celebration.

Six Somali military officials, who graduated from Turkish war college, were also present at the ceremony held at the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu.

“We celebrate the 97th anniversary of the 30 August Victory Day and also presented diploma of the Somali Officers who graduated from Turkish National Defense University War College,” Turkish Embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter.

- Ethiopia

The anniversary was also marked in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with an event attended by members of the diplomatic community, military attaches of numerous countries, Ethiopian officials and Turkish citizens.

Yaprak Alp, Turkish ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union, read out Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan's Victory Day message.

Alp said that commemorating the precious Victory Day in Ethiopia has a unique meaning in the context of the all rounded relations between the two countries and Turkey's solidarity with the African Union.

"The strong relationship between both countries contributes to peace and prosperity in the region," she added.

* Seleshi Tessema in Addis Ababa and Mohammed Dhaysane in Mogadishu contributed to this story.