17.03.2017 Ankara
In his address for the anniversary of the March 18th Martyrs Memorial Day and the 102nd anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Victory, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the heroes who wrote the Çanakkale epic would never be forgotten, “This victory is the declaration to the world that we will never accept defeat even under the harshest condition.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu's
message is as follows:
“The Dardanelles
Victory, one of the most illustrious pages of our glorious history, is one
which has won the admiration of the whole world.
In addition to being a
military victory, it is the result of the conviction of a nation, from 7 to 70.
It is the best example of a nation’s belief in its soldier, knowing that it is
impossible to exist without independence.
The Gallipoli wars
are rare examples of wars in which defenders defeat their attackers.
Those who gave their
lives for their homeland left great honor and pride for the generations which
followed them.
We know well that we
owe our present to our martyrs in the Turkish War of Independence, especially
in the Dardanelles.
History teaches us
that we can repay our heroic ancestors, our debt to our martyrs, but only by
defending this paradise homeland against all enemies and by elevating our
country to the most advanced position in the path of civilization, as the Veteran
Great Leader Mustafa Kemal directs us.
We can repay it by
preserving our unity and solidarity in the face of all plots and ploys.
On behalf of the
Turkish business community, with these thoughts and feelings, I salute the
sacrifice of the martyrs of Çanakkale and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once more with
gratitude.”