Erdoğan, Bahçeli to mark Manzikert anniversary

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli visited the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery to mark the 954th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert last year.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ally, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, are set to attend ceremonies in the Ahlat district of eastern Bitlis province on Aug. 25 marking the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert.

Erdoğan is expected to use his address to stress national unity and the government-led “terror-free Türkiye” initiative.

Parliament on Aug. 10 adopted a 12-article law setting out legal procedures tied to the PKK’s dissolution and surrender of weapons, with 467 lawmakers voting in favor.

Erdoğan and Bahçeli are also expected to hold talks at the Devlet Bey Mansion in Ahlat. They are due to visit the Seljuk cemetery in the district with cabinet members following the commemoration.

Erdoğan will then chair a cabinet meeting at the Ahlat Presidential Complex, the third such gathering held in the district during the annual events.

The two-day program will continue in neighboring Muş province on Aug. 26, when Erdoğan is scheduled to attend the main anniversary ceremony in Malazgirt, the Turkish name for Manzikert.

At the 2024 ceremony in Malazgirt, Erdoğan also put unity at the center of his address.

“The Battle of Manzikert was the fruit of unity and solidarity,” he said. “As a nation, we can overcome difficulties only if we stand together.”