Blunders mar Erdogan’s Gallipoli Campaign commemorationApril 25, 2015 - 18:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The ceremonial part of the events commemorating the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli Campaign was highly criticized by media: the Turkish side made a number of mistakes and slips, armeniangenocide100.org reports. During the ceremonies four warships, including those of Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand, approached the Dardanelles Strait, where the Turkish presidential yacht MV Savarona greeted them instead of the Ottoman artillery. Another episode did not skip the attention of the media too. While a short movie about the century-old battle was being screened, [Turkish president Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s recording of a patriotic poem was turned on. The verse had a religious Islamist content, whereas soldiers practicing other religions participated in the battle too. Choosing April 24 as the day of holding the ceremonies brought about multiple problems. The events were previously held on March 18 in Turkey and on April 25 in Australia and New Zealand, making it possible for the allies’ ships to reach their native shores on time. The ceremony angered even Turkish opposition nationalists. Republican People’s Party general secretary Gürsel Tekin criticized the authorities for not having invited the opposition parties. “After torturing those alive, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) now mistreats our victims. Everyone but Ataturk’s party participated in the ceremony,” Tekin said, according to Hurriyet. Nationalist Movement Party deputy chairman Yusuf Halacoglu noted that not a single opposition party was invited and added: “They played and danced to their own music.” Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |