CANAKKALE - As dawn broke in northwestern province of Canakkale, a number of Australian, New Zealander and Turkish people have gathered on the 89th anniversary of Canakkale Battles to commemorate their ancestors who lost their lives in the World War I.
They gathered at 05.30 local time, when the Anzacs landed at Gelibolu Peninsula 89 years ago, sang hymns and prayed for those who lost their lives in the battles.
Speaking at the sunrise service, Defense Minister Robert M. Hill of Australia said that all countries had suffered heavy loss on those lands, stressing that the loss had brought nations of these countries closer to each other.
Recalling that many people lost their lives in Gelibolu Peninsula 89 years ago, Hill said that those who had fought and died in the peninsula made significant sacrifices to enable the next generations to form rich nations and to have a series of freedoms.
''As dawn breaks, we cannot help but think of how those first Anzacs would have felt for many this would be a final act of sacrifice and service. Those who are here today and those across the world who stand together in these ceremonies are sending a powerful message that the spirit of Anzac is alive and well and will not be defeated,'' he added.
Nearly 3 thousand Australian and New Zealander tourists lit candles out of respect to their ancestors.
Canakkale Deputy Governor Mustafa Guler attended the service on behalf of Turkey.
Tight security measures were taken during the sunrise service.
Every year, thousands of tourists mainly from Australia and New Zealand travel to the battlefields on the Gelibolu Peninsula to mark Anzac Day, the anniversary of the start of the battle that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Gelibolu's Anzac Cove, where the dawn landings on the peninsula took place, is sacred to many Australians and New Zealanders.
Anzacs formed the backbone of a 200 thousand-man British-led army that landed at Gelibolu in an attempt to capture Istanbul. The Turks held strong for more than eight months, driving the allies off their land in a campaign in which some 1 million men fought and some 300,000 died.
(UK) 25.04.2004