Turkey marks 95th anniversary of Republic Day

ANKARA

Turkey celebrated the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic across the country and in diplomatic sites around the world.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, senior government and high-ranking military officials and political opposition leaders laid a wreath at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the capital Ankara. Ceremonies were held in every city, municipal and village center in the country.

The historic opening of the new airport in Istanbul, which comes amid “intensifying attacks at our economy,” is a symbol of Turkey’s power, determination and achievements over the past 95 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote in the Anıtkabir memorial book.

“Today, we are celebrating the 95th anniversary of our republic by opening the new airport in Istanbul, one of the most prestigious projects in the world,” Erdoğan wrote.

In an earlier message released by the presidency to commemorate the anniversary of the Turkish Republic, Erdoğan said Turkey would keep working hard “to preserve our republic forever.”

“We will never make concessions from this position and we will not allow any games, any obstacles and any sabotage to keep us from our goals,” he said.

“We will crown our great historical journey starting from the Seljuks to the Ottomans and then the young Turkish Republic with our 2023 goals and I hope we will move it up to a higher level with our 2053 and 2071 visions,” he added.

After the program in Anıtkabir, Erdoğan received greetings at the Presidential Complex. Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener participated at the ceremony in Anıtkabir, but abstained from the program at the presidential palace.

Following the first official phase of the celebrations, the traditional Republic Day reception was set to be held in Istanbul on late Oct. 29, outside the capital Ankara for the first time.

The official proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Atatürk took place on Oct. 29, 1923 when the name of the nation and its status as a republic were declared.

A vote then took place in the Grand National Assembly and Atatürk, a revolutionary statesman, was elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey by a unanimous vote. Since then, Turkey celebrates Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.

In his written message for Republic Day, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said they continue the determined fight against any kind of threat, particularly from terrorist organizations such as FETÖ, the PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and DAESH, the Arabic acronym for ISIL. Akar said Turkey would not allow any de facto step in the region taken against it.