President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan marked the 107th anniversary of the Sivas Congress on Friday, describing the landmark gathering as a historic turning point that united Türkiye’s national forces around a common goal during the country’s War of Independence.

In a message shared by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, Erdoğan said the congress demonstrated to the world that the Turkish nation would not submit to occupying forces and was prepared to stand united in its struggle for independence.

"The Sivas Congress was a historic turning point that enabled national forces operating on different fronts across Anatolia to unite around a common ideal,” Erdoğan said.

He noted that the spirit of national unity, solidarity and cooperation that prevailed at the congress remained one of Türkiye’s greatest strengths in the face of threats against the nation, flag, homeland and state.

"The determination and resolve we demonstrated as a nation 107 years ago, despite all difficulties, remain our strongest source of motivation today in pursuing our Century of Türkiye goals,” he underlined.

The president also commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, and other figures who took part in the national struggle.

The Defense Ministry separately commemorated the anniversary, saying the gathering in Sivas represented the Turkish nation’s determination to shape its own future.

"107 years ago, it was not merely a congress that convened in Sivas; a nation declared to the world that it would determine its own future through its own will,” the ministry said, highlighting the congress’ rejection of foreign mandates and protectorates.

Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also described the congress as a historic milestone on the path toward the national struggle and the establishment of the republic.

Duran said the decisions adopted in Sivas demonstrated the nation’s determination to defend the country’s territorial integrity and national independence against outside pressure.

Moreover, Turkish opposition New Party (YP) Chair Özgür Özel also issued a message marking the anniversary, saying the congress declared that the nation would not surrender to occupation or foreign mandates.

"A country’s future can only be determined by the will of its own people,” Özel said, commemorating Atatürk and those who fought for Türkiye’s independence.

The Sivas Congress, held from Sept. 4-11, 1919, played a key role in coordinating the Turkish national resistance and laid important groundwork for the War of Independence.

Birth of Turkish republic

The Sivas Congress was a pivotal gathering in the country’s War of Independence where delegates rejected foreign mandates and protectorates and adopted key decisions that helped lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye.

The congress was a major milestone in the national resistance movement, bringing together representatives from across Anatolia and reinforcing the principle of full national independence.

Atatürk began the national resistance campaign in Samsun on May 19, 1919, before traveling through Amasya and arriving in Sivas on June 27, which he considered a secure location for advancing the movement.

During meetings in Sivas, participants discussed the situation facing the country and decided to convene a national congress in the city as soon as possible.

The Sivas Congress formally opened on Sept. 4, 1919, in the building that today houses the Atatürk and Congress Museum.

The congress, chaired by Atatürk, conducted its official work over seven days, during which delegates discussed a series of issues concerning the future of the country and the national resistance.

Among its most significant decisions was the declaration that foreign "mandates and protectorates” were unacceptable, reinforcing the principles of national sovereignty and national will.

The congress also helped bring previously separate resistance organizations under a broader national movement. With representatives from different parts of the country taking part, it effectively served as a national assembly during a critical stage of the independence struggle.

The decisions taken in Sivas helped establish a coordinated political framework for the national resistance and contributed to developments that culminated in victory in the War of Independence.

The struggle ultimately paved the way for the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on Oct. 29, 1923, with Atatürk as its founding president.