President Ersin Tatar’s statement on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne:
“This great political victory, which gave international legitimacy to an independent Türkiye, continues to give strength and inspiration to all of us.”
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, which crowned the end of the enemy occupation of Anatolia with a diplomatic victory as a result of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades’ triumph.
The Treaty of Lausanne, which gave Türkiye its economic and political independence, is a significant political success in terms of gaining international legitimacy for the government established in Ankara against the occupation.
The conditions imposed by the Treaty of Sevres were abolished with the Treaty of Lausanne, which provided Anatolia with full independence by implementing most of the decisions of Misak-ı Milli (the National Oath).
The success achieved in Lausanne under the leadership of İsmet Pasha, which is also accepted as the founding agreement of the Republic of Türkiye and who showed his diplomatic success to the whole world despite being an officer, still inspires and empowers us all today as the most important legal document showing the establishment of a new independent Turkish state inside and outside and that has been approved by the whole world.
The War of Independence, which showed to the whole world that the Turkish nation would not give up its freedom and independence under any circumstances, and the political victories that followed, had great political effects on a global scale.
This great victory, has been a source of strength and inspiration for the national struggle and resistance of the Turkish Cypriot people and has given light to all captive and suffering nations.
Our people, inspired and empowered by this great victory, carried on their arduous struggle and never gave up on their independence and freedom. This great victory inspired our people to continue with their struggle under difficult circumstances and reach their own sovereign state and homeland after a legendary struggle put forth against the mentality of fascist EOKA.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, when Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades military triumph over the enemies was crowned by political victory, we are voicing once again to the whole world that we will never give up on our sovereignty, our freedom and our state, which is a representative of Turkish world in the Eastern Mediterranean.
We shall continue on our path with responsibility and courage at all costs in order to glorify our state in the footsteps of our ancestors, who turned Anatolia into an eternal Turkish territory with the War of Independence.