On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired a meeting of his government members at the Ahlat Presidential Complex in Bitlis Province (east), the first government meeting he has held outside the capital Ankara.
The presidential complex was illuminated with shapes that included the colors of the Turkish flag and the presidential emblem during the meeting, which coincided with the 953rd anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (August 26, 1071).
Red lights covered the entire exterior facade of the building, while the crescent and star and the presidential emblem were displayed in white light on the right and left sides of the main entrance.
Earlier on Sunday, President Erdogan participated in a celebration held in the Ahlat region on the occasion of the anniversary of the Seljuk victory over Byzantium in 1071 AD in the Battle of Manzikert.
Ahlat houses the historic Seljuk cemetery, which is the largest and oldest Turkish Islamic cemetery.
The Battle of Manzikert took place on August 26, 1071, and in it the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan was able to defeat the Byzantine army led by Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes, opening the gates of Anatolia to the Turks.
The victory at Manzikert is considered one of the most important victories that changed the course of Turkish history and had great effects that lasted for centuries.
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After the government meeting on Sunday, the Turkish president delivered a public speech in which he stressed that the city of Ahlat is a cultural heritage of the Seljuk state.
He pointed out that this is the first time that a Turkish government meeting has been held outside the capital Ankara since the Justice and Development Party came to power (in 2002).
President Erdogan stressed that Turkey will continue to support the Palestinian cause, “which was evident in hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas under the dome of parliament.”
He said, “Israel has not been able to break the will of the Palestinian people to resist despite all its brutality, all its barbarity and the terrorism it has been practicing in Gaza for 10 months.”
He added, “Once again, we respectfully salute the Palestinian people who are heroically defending their land. Sooner or later, we are certain that victory will come to our Palestinian brothers.”
Regarding the forest fires that Turkey has recently witnessed, Erdogan stressed that they have taken all measures to control the fires that have increased in recent years.
“We currently have the strongest army dedicated to the green homeland (forests) in our history with 27 planes, 105 helicopters and more than 5,000 land vehicles,” he said in this regard.
Erdogan pointed out that 14 drones also contribute to monitoring forest fires, and last year alone they were able to locate 2,076 forest fires.
