Provocative statements by Turkish President Erdogan on Pontian Genocide Remembrance Day in a message he sent for the 105th anniversary of May 19, Kemal Atatürk’s memorial day.

According to Turkish media, Erdogan marks May 19 as the “Date of our nation’s independence and the future emerging from every corner of our country against enemy occupation.”

Erdogan’s message is as follows:

“May 19, 1919, which began exactly 105 years ago in Samsuda and crown our National Struggle with victory, is the date when the first brick was laid in the building of a strong Turkey. This date was the spark of the spirit of independence and the future of our nation emerging from every corner of our country against enemy occupation.

Our nation began a total struggle for existence by revealing its resistance against captivity. The struggle for existence began, embodied in the cries of either independence or death. The torch of independence burning in Samsuda spread throughout Anatolia through Amasia, Erzerum, Siwa and then Ankara.

The spirit of May 19 is this nation’s greatest asset. In this spirit lies the meaning of standing in the face of difficulties and fighting together with perseverance, faith and determination. We cannot help but continue our country’s struggle for development, growth and empowerment despite all kinds of pressures and challenges it faces, embracing the spirit, substance, principles, ideals and goals of May 19. You, the soldiers of the New Turkey Century, must protect your history and present yourself with such consciousness and confidence, unite among yourselves and develop the law of brotherhood among yourselves.

I congratulate you, our youth and our beloved nation, on the Ataturk Memorial, Youth and Sports Day on May 19, and once again respectfully remember all the heroes of our War of Independence, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ».