Speaking at the 950th anniversary commemoration of Malazgirt Victory, Erdoğan said: “Turkey rises up as the current heir to a great civilization, which embraces, envelopes and cherishes everything pertaining to the East and the West. We, together with our youth, are determined to triumphantly finalize this advance, which is inspired by our glorious past and sets its eyes on 50-100 years into the future.”

“On the 950th anniversary of the Malazgirt Victory, which made Anatolia our eternal homeland, I remember with grace all our heroes, martyrs, and veterans, starting with Sultan Alp Arslan,” Erdoğan said.

Recalling the designation of Malazgirt as the “point zero of the Turkish history in Anatolia,” Erdoğan said: “This is the very place which divides the Turkish history as ‘before Malazgirt’ and ‘after Malazgirt’. There is no easily-won victory in our history. There were enormous efforts, endeavors, and sacrifices behind the Malazgirt Victory.”

“To us, Malazgirt is not an ordinary victory that is gathering dust on the shelves of history. It is the principal column at the beginning of the bridge we built between the past and the future,”Erdoğan said. “We aim to turn 2071 into the 2nd great column on the other end of this bridge.”

“Turkey rises up as the current heir to a great civilization, which embraces, envelopes, and cherishes everything pertaining to the East and the West. We, together with our youth, are determined to triumphantly finalize this advance, which is inspired by our glorious past and sets its eyes on 50-100 years into the future”, Erdoğan underlined.