Senior Turkish officials mark 99th anniversary of Victory Day

Top Turkish officials marked the country's Victory Day on Monday, which commemorates the resounding defeat of Greek forces at the hands of Turks at the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922.

"On the 99th anniversary of the Battle of Dumlupinar, I commemorate the founder of the Turkish Republic Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his heroic comrades-in-arms with mercy and gratitude," Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu hailed the Turkish War of Independence as "the first serious struggle against the colonial and imperialist ideology that had descended on the world like a nightmare for nearly a century."

He said the struggle was "an example and a source of inspiration for all oppressed nations" and a victory that remains a source of pride to this day.

"On this occasion, I commemorate all our commanders, martyrs, and veterans with mercy and gratitude, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the commander of the great victory," Soylu said in a statement.

Victory Day marks the final battle in western Anatolia against Greek forces in 1922 and is dedicated to Turkey's armed forces.

From Aug. 26 to Aug. 30, 1922, Turkish forces fought the Battle of Dumlupinar in what is now Turkey's western Kutahya province, where the invading Greek army was decisively defeated.

By the end of 1922, all foreign forces had been expelled from the territories that collectively became the Republic of Turkey a year later.