President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan marked the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye on Thursday with a video message released on the morning of the 29 October public holiday, TRT Haber and CNN Türk reported. The roughly five-minute address was published at 09:00, according to both outlets, ahead of the state ceremony at Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum in Ankara.
In the message, Erdoğan sent greetings to citizens across the country, to Turkish Cypriots and to Turks living abroad, and thanked guests attending receptions at Türkiye’s missions overseas. He paid tribute to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic, to the heroes of the War of Independence and to the country’s martyrs, and thanked veterans.
‘Stronger than yesterday’
Erdoğan described the Republic’s history as "full of glorious victories" and said the National Struggle had shown what a nation united in solidarity could achieve even in the hardest conditions.
He said that over the past 24 years Türkiye had made major advances in the defence industry, energy, transport and diplomacy, which he presented as milestones towards a stronger country. According to the reports, he said Türkiye was developing its own technology, strengthening energy supply security and expanding production capacity.
"Türkiye, thank God, is stronger today than yesterday," Erdoğan said, adding that he hoped it would be stronger and more influential tomorrow. He also said the Turkish nation would, God willing, "put its seal" on the current century.
Stability and the ‘Türkiye Century’
Erdoğan said Türkiye had kept its stability despite wars and crises in its region and further afield, and that it was taking responsibility for resolving disputes. He pledged to keep working for peace and justice at home, in the region and globally.
He linked the anniversary to the government’s "Türkiye Century" (Türkiye Yüzyılı) vision, saying the country’s 86 million people would carry the Republic into a brighter future together.
Holiday programme
Thursday is a national holiday across Türkiye. In Istanbul, the governorship postponed the Republic Day parade on Vatan Caddesi because of rain and said its official programme would go ahead at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall. Public transport is free in several cities on the holiday, as set out in our Republic Day free transport story.
Sources
- Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’dan 29 Ekim Cumhuriyet Bayramı mesajı (TRT Haber)
- Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’dan Cumhuriyet Bayramı mesajı: Türkiye Yüzyılına yürüyoruz (CNN Türk)
- Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’dan 29 Ekim mesajı: Bu asra Türk milleti mührünü vuracak (Son Dakika)
Photo: William Neuheisel from DC, US / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
