Sunday was a special day in the history of the Turkish republic. The 100th anniversary of the republic was observed with celebrations across the country and in its diplomatic missions abroad.
Events were held with the participation of high-ranking officials in 81 provinces as the nation joined the celebrations with flags and posters of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the century-old republic.
In the early hours of Sunday, a delegation of government officials and party leaders, generals, and top judges visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on the occasion of Republic Day. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan led the delegation paying tributes to Atatürk and his circle of soldiers and state leaders who established the republic after a fierce War of Independence. The delegation laid a wreath at Atatürk’s mausoleum.
Erdoğan then hosted a reception of ambassadors and high-level officials on the occasion at the Presidential Complex and attend an oil painting exhibition on the centenary. Representatives of foreign missions, heads of public agencies, ministers and party leaders attended the reception, along with a group of youth, athletes, families of veterans and martyrs, and relatives of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Guests of the reception were presented with coins and stamps issued by the state to mark the centenary of the republic. Guests also signed a painting containing the coats of arms of the Presidency and a logo of the 100th anniversary of the republic. Visitors then toured the exhibition that included portraits of presidents of the republic, from Atatürk to Erdoğan, and paintings of “100 Works” accomplished by the centenary – from locally-made vehicle Togg to a drillship and products of the Turkish defense industry, which became self-reliant after decades of imports, from drones to warships.
He is later scheduled to travel to Istanbul, the country’s most populated city, to watch a procession of 100 military ships on the Bosporus to mark the day. Stunts by fighter jets, drones and a firework display over the city will accompany the celebrations. Erdoğan is also scheduled to address the nation at 7:23 p.m.
