The heroes of Canakkale are eternal examples for Hungarians

The heroes of Canakkale are eternal examples for Hungarians

Just like in previous years, on Monday the representatives of the Turkish diplomatic corps, the Hungarian government, Parliament and the defence forces commemorated the Day of Turkish Heroes and placed their wreathes on the memorials of the Turkish soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending the Hungarian land alongside with Hungarian soldiers in World War I.

18 thousand of the 30 thousand soldiers fighting here died a heroic death.

The ceremony was attended by Ambassador H. Kemal Gür, brigadier general István Kun Szabó, state secretary Gergely Pröhle from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Jobbik MP Tamás Hegedűs, the  Chairman of the Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

On 18 March, Turkey celebrates the triumph of the Gallipoli (Canakkale) battle, when they fought a heroic struggle and sacrificed a lot of lives to drive back the (mainly British) entente forces that wanted to occupy the Dardanelles. Colonel Mustafa Kemal, who became a national hero in this battle, later became Atatürk, the leader of the successful Turkish war of independence, and subsequently the father and first president of the Republic of Turkey founded in 1923.

Just like in several other war fronts, the Hungarian soldiers of the Monarchy's K.u.K army also participated in the battle of Gallipoli, as brothers in arms.