President Ersin Tatar marks centennial anniversary of Turkish national anthem
President Ersin Tatar has marked the centennial anniversary of the Istiklal Marsi, or March of Independence, which is the Turkish National Anthem written by Mehmet Akif Ersoy.
A written statement by President Tatar states:
“On behalf of myself and the Turkish Cypriot people, I commend with utmost sincerity the 100th anniversary of Istiklal Marsi which was officially accepted on March 12, 1921, as the National Anthem by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The Istiklal Marsi is very sacred for the Turkish Cypriot people, as much as it is for Motherland Republic of Turkey and the Turkish nation who have always been by our side at times of pain, suffering and joy. The Istiklal Marsi is our national anthem and is the symbol of our resistance. Our people began to sing the Istiklal Marsi as soon as it was accepted in 1921 despite the oppression and prohibitions imposed by the British Colonial Administration, and it will continue to be sung as long as the Turkish Cypriots exist in these lands. Whilst I commemorate the 100th anniversary of our Istiklal Marsi, I wish to pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Turkish war of independence. May they rest in peace.”
“On behalf of myself and the Turkish Cypriot people, I commend with utmost sincerity the 100th anniversary of Istiklal Marsi which was officially accepted on March 12, 1921, as the National Anthem by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The Istiklal Marsi is very sacred for the Turkish Cypriot people, as much as it is for Motherland Republic of Turkey and the Turkish nation who have always been by our side at times of pain, suffering and joy. The Istiklal Marsi is our national anthem and is the symbol of our resistance. Our people began to sing the Istiklal Marsi as soon as it was accepted in 1921 despite the oppression and prohibitions imposed by the British Colonial Administration, and it will continue to be sung as long as the Turkish Cypriots exist in these lands. Whilst I commemorate the 100th anniversary of our Istiklal Marsi, I wish to pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Turkish war of independence. May they rest in peace.”