Celebrations in Turkey marking the 98th anniversary of the founding of its republic have begun Friday with state officials’ visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of the country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in the capital Ankara.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who visited Anıtkabir to mark Republic Day, stressed determination to achieve the 2023 goals when the republic is due to celebrate its centenary.
“As members of a heroic nation with a glorious past that is full of victories, we are determined to meet the republic with its 2023 goals,” Erdoğan wrote in the Anıtkabir memorial book.
The president later accepted greetings at the presidential complex.
Republic Day is being celebrated across Turkey, its representations abroad, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The government ceremony in Ankara will be accompanied by various events, including concerts, marches, and fireworks across the country.
On Oct. 29, 1923, Ataturk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country’s status as a republic.
A vote then took place in the Grand National Assembly, and Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman, was elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey by unanimous vote.
Since then, Turkey celebrates Republic Day on Oct. 29 annually.
Also marking Republic Day, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Friday that the nation protects its independence today, as it did in the past, and the country walks resolutely on the road to a powerful Turkey.
