Assist. Prof. Turgay Bülent Göktürk, the Chair of the Eastern Mediterranean University Atatürk Research and Application Center (EMU-ATAUM), released a statement regarding Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who will be commemorated with various ceremonies on the 85th anniversary of his passing. Assist. Prof. Turgay Bülent Göktürk included the following statements in his message:
"One of the most prominent positions in world history undoubtedly belongs to the Great Leader Atatürk, with the epic of the War of Independence he initiated, the miracle of Turkey, and numerous reforms he introduced. Atatürk, the savior of the Turkish nation and the founder of the Republic of Turkey, achieved extraordinary feats within his short 57-year lifespan that would not have been deemed possible for a mortal human.
During the dark days of World War I, he emerged as a national hero for the Turkish nation at Çanakkale, offering a beacon of hope for other oppressed nations worldwide. He initiated the National Struggle in Anatolia to rescue the nation that was targeted for destruction and the fragmented Turkish homeland. Amid countless hardships and poverty, he unified the nation into a single force and emerged victorious in the War of Independence, becoming a leader of freedom worldwide.
Upon the destroyed lands of the homeland, despite all adversities, he established a modern republic, transforming it into a state respected by all globally. Alongside his nation, he realized reforms that laid the foundations for modernization.
Atatürk did not pursue unattainable ambitions; rather, he derived all his inspiration from reason and scientific truths, creating his ideology by living it within the fabric of life. While ideologies that led millions to their demise were buried in the annals of history, the Atatürkist Ideology stands firm and will continue to illuminate the Turkish nation in the future.
The Turkish Cypriot people, an indispensable part of this nation, also regarded Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as a savior, following his path and embracing his reforms without compulsion, simultaneously. They have consistently demonstrated their determination and commitment to perpetuate Atatürk's principles and reforms through the establishment of the free and independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 40 years ago.
Great Atatürk, on the centenary of the Republic of Turkey that you described as 'my greatest work' and entrusted to the Turkish youth with the directive 'O Turkish Youth! Your first duty is to preserve and defend forever the Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic...,' your ideas, which we understand more deeply each passing day, continue to live in the hearts and minds of the Turkish nation and will endure for eternity.
With these sentiments and thoughts, we once again commemorate Great Leader Atatürk with love, respect, and longing on the 85th anniversary of his passing and bow our heads in reverence to his great memory.
