President Erdoğan: Every inch of our homeland is Çanakkale

Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's remarks:

I congratulate the Ramadan of our educators who serve with passion in each of our 81 provinces and 922 districts. We are experiencing both the sadness of bidding farewell to the season of mercy and the joy of reaching the Ramadan Feast.

As we entered Ramadan, our prayer was, 'O Lord, just as You have brought us to the blessed Ramadan, bring us to the Ramadan Feast.' Now, as we leave the blessed Ramadan behind, we say 'Farewell, Ramadan.'

I pray to the Almighty that the Ramadan Feast brings blessings to all my brothers and sisters here, to our country, our nation, and the Islamic world.

"I COMMEMORATE OUR MARTYRS WITH MERCY AND GRATITUDE"

We believe that prayers made with a pure heart will surely find their response in the sight of the Almighty. I pray that the Lord accepts and deems worthy the fasts you have kept, the worship you have performed, and the prayers you have offered. Today, we are also observing the 111th anniversary of our Çanakkale naval victory with great pride. Exactly 111 years have passed since the Çanakkale epic, one of the greatest scenes of heroism that our homeland's soil has witnessed. On its 111th anniversary, I commemorate all our martyrs who watered the black soil with their crimson blood with mercy and gratitude.

Anatolia is the name of the blessed lands that have given martyrs from every household and every family. Pay attention, it is not called 'mother-filled' (ana dolu) or 'father-filled' (baba dolu). This is very meaningful. In the eyes of our noble nation, which is the descendant of martyrs, every inch of our heavenly homeland is Conk Bayırı, Gallipoli, and Çanakkale. And friend and foe alike know well that; Çanakkale cannot be passed. God willing, as long as the world stands, Çanakkale will be the brightest symbol of the Turkish nation's passion for freedom, its unbreakable will, and its struggle for existence.

"THE WILL THAT MADE ÇANAKKALE IMPASSABLE IS THE IDEA OF UNITY AND THE DETERMINATION TO STRUGGLE"

The greatest witness that Turkey does not consist only of 783 thousand square kilometers is Çanakkale. The will that made Çanakkale impassable is the idea of unity and the determination to struggle. In Çanakkale, there is every province and district of Anatolia. In Çanakkale, there is Sarajevo, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and North Africa. In Çanakkale, there is the prayer of every corner of our heart and cultural geography, and the affection of millions who wet their prayer rugs with tears.