Laying a wreath at the Atatürk Monument on the 103rd anniversary of the Liberation of Izmit, Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet said, “We are aware of our responsibility to protect the history and culture of Izmit and carry it into the future. On this occasion, I congratulate all our people on the liberation day of June 28 and I am very happy to be together on this meaningful day.”
On June 28, 103rd anniversary of the Liberation of Izmit, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Atatürk Monument. Izmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, Izmit District Governor Yusuf Ziya Çelikkaya, Izmit Central Commander Marine Infantry Colonel Ayhan Gedik and citizens attended the ceremony, which started with a moment of silence for the martyrs and the National Anthem.
Speaking at the ceremony, Izmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet said, “Today we are together to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the liberation of our city with great enthusiasm and pride. June 28, 1921 is the day when Izmit gained its freedom, declared its independence, and the epic struggle under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our republic, was crowned with victory. While commemorating this historic day, we remember all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of independence and freedom with mercy, gratitude and gratitude. The history of Izmit has a deep-rooted history that has hosted many civilizations with its rich cultural heritage dating back thousands of years. As you know, Izmit is a blessed city where it was first announced that the form of government of the new state to be established would be a republic and that Turkish women would be given the right to vote and be elected. The struggle and heroism shown in our National War of Independence are also engraved in golden letters in the history of our city. This struggle led by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms is a sweat that lit the torch of independence by liberating Iznik and its surroundings from enemy occupation. As a result of the liberation struggle with Yahya Kaptan, Black Fatma, Translator Ahmet and many more nameless heroes, our beautiful city Izmit was liberated from enemy occupation. June 28 is not only a symbol of victory, but also a symbol of our unity and solidarity, faith and determination. June 28 is the expression of our gratitude to our past and our hopes for the future. We will continue to work with all our strength to make our city a more beautiful, more livable place by protecting this legacy left to us by our ancestors. We are aware of our responsibility to protect Izmit’s history and culture and carry it into the future. On this occasion, I congratulate all our people on June 28th, the day of liberation, and I am very happy to be together on this meaningful day. I once again commemorate all our martyrs, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who made these lands a homeland, with mercy, gratitude and respect. I express our gratitude to all our veterans. Happy 103rd anniversary of the liberation of our beautiful Izmit, our beautiful city.”