Marking the 104th anniversary of Victory Day, Dr. Nazlı Murzioğlu says the victory of August 30, 1922 transformed military success into a political achievement that paved the way for Mudanya and the Treaty of Lausanne.

Dr. Nazlı Murzioğlu, Director of the Atatürk Principles and History of Turkish Revolution Research and Application Center at Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), issued a statement marking the 104th anniversary of August 30 Victory Day, emphasizing the historical and geopolitical significance of the victory.

“This outcome demonstrated to the entire world that maps drawn at the negotiating table had no validity in the face of a national resistance whose legitimacy came from its own people,” Dr. Murzioğlu said.

Reflecting on the significance of August 30, she described the victory as a decisive turning point not only in the Turkish War of Independence but also in the regional balance of power that emerged after the First World War.

“Today, we mark the 104th anniversary of August 30 Victory Day, when imperial projects targeting the Turkish nation’s determination for independence were decisively defeated on the battlefield,” Murzioğlu said.

She continued:

“This absolute victory on the battlefield was also a unique turning point because of the structural changes it brought about in the balance of power within the international system. August 30, 1922 was the date on which the artificial balances established in the geopolitics of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean by the victorious powers of the First World War were overturned by the determination and resolve of the Turkish nation, and military strategy created a lasting political reality.”

“Policies Aimed at Partitioning Anatolia Ultimately Collapsed”

Dr. Murzioğlu noted that policies formulated at diplomatic tables from the 19th century onward, subsequently embodied in the Treaty of Sèvres and aimed at partitioning Anatolia, ultimately collapsed at Dumlupınar on August 30.

“The unjust order that the great powers of the period sought to establish in the region was overturned by the extraordinary military success of the Great Offensive,” she said.

“This outcome demonstrated to the entire world that maps drawn at the negotiating table had no validity in the face of a national resistance whose legitimacy came from its own people.”

“It Established One of the 20th Century’s Most Distinctive Paradigms of Independence”

Dr. Murzioğlu emphasized that the victory achieved under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk went far beyond military liberation and opened the way to a new diplomatic era.

“This decisive victory was not merely an act of military liberation; it also opened the door to a new diplomatic era,” she said. “The overwhelming superiority achieved by the Turkish army compelled the Allied Powers to retreat diplomatically.”

Murzioğlu explained that the process leading first to the Armistice of Mudanya and ultimately to the Treaty of Lausanne transformed military success on the battlefield into a political victory that laid the foundations of a fully independent state and secured the objectives of the National Pact (Misak-ı Milli).

“Through this unparalleled determination, the Turkish nation established one of the 20th century’s most distinctive paradigms of independence in the face of imperialist expansion and domination,” she said.

“Our most fundamental responsibility today is to preserve, with the same determination, the historical consciousness and national awareness inherited from this glorious victory.”

“Happy August 30 Victory Day”

Concluding her statement, Dr. Murzioğlu commemorated those who fought in Türkiye’s struggle for independence:

“I remember with profound respect, gratitude, and reverence all the heroes of our struggle for independence, particularly the founder of our Republic, Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms, as well as our fallen heroes and veterans who entrusted this honorable historical legacy to us.”

“Happy August 30 Victory Day.”