"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
These words are attributed to Kemal Ataturk in a speech he is said to have delivered on ANZAC Day in 1934. There is some debate now over whether he really did speak them, but he quite definitely did say on various occasions
"The landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, and the fighting which took place on the peninsula will never be forgotten. They showed to the world the heroism of all those who shed their blood there. How heartrending for their nations were the losses that this struggle caused.โ
Also โWhatever views we of the present or future generations of Turks may hold in regard to the rights or wrong of the world war, we shall never feel less respect for the men of Anzac and their deeds when battling against our armies โฆ They were nearer to achieving the seemingly impossible than anyone on the other side yet realises.โ
And โThe Turks will always pay our tribute on the soil where the majority of your dead sleep on the windswept wastes of Gallipoli.โ
That doesn't sound to me like money speaking.
