Balkans | The conference “Akif’s Speech is the Face of the Republic” held in Serbia

On the occasion of March 12, the acceptance of the national anthem and on March 18, Çanakkale Victory Day and Martyrs’ Day, the “Speech of the Face of the Republic” conference was held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

At the conference organized by Belgrade Yunus Emre Institusu (YEE) at the Serbian National Museum, Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade Hami Aksoy and Academician of the University of Belgrade Prof. Dr. doctor. Mirjana Marinkovic made remarks.

Aksoy wished God’s mercy for those who lost their lives in the earthquakes that struck Kahramanmaraş on February 6 and the recovery of the injured, and said that they will not forget Serbia’s sincere solidarity during this period.

Aksoy Belgrade thanked YEE, which organized the congress, and said, “As a nation, we celebrate with great pride and excitement the anniversary of Çanakkale’s victory. This victory is a great heroic epic that revealed the military genius of the great leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.” He said.

Aksoy noted that a generation sacrificed itself for the sake of new generations without batting an eye during the Battle of Gallipoli, and that “an unprecedented epic was written in the world.”

Expressing that the victory showed the world what the Turkish nation can achieve, Aksoy continued as follows:

The all-out struggle in Çanakkale under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ushered in the War of Independence and the establishment of our Republic. Two days ago, we celebrated the 102nd anniversary of the adoption of our national anthem by the Grand National Assembly. The text written by our national poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was read several times from the rostrum in Parliament on March 12, 1921 and was applauded.

Our national anthem, accepted in the most difficult days of the War of Independence, when our Supreme Council was not even a year old, not only raised the faith of our soldiers at the front in victory, but also became our common voice. Our determination and determination to achieve national independence in a short time.

Referring to the celebration of the upcoming anniversary of Çanakkale’s victory, Ambassador Aksoy said, “I salute the memory of the founder of our republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, our national poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, and all our martyrs with mercy and gratitude.” He said.

Marinković also said that Mehmet Akif Ersoy has a special place in the history of Turkish literature and that great historical changes took place during his lifetime.

Marinković referred to the poem “The Martyrs of Çanakkale”, which Ersoy included in his book “Pages”, saying: “While composing this poem, he drew his inspiration from the battle of Çanakkale, which resulted in a great victory. The poem glorifying the heroism of the Turkish army aroused hope and optimism among the people.” He said.

AA