Turkey Commemorates 93rd Anniversary Of Republic Day

The Republic of Turkey will mark its 93rd anniversary of the day the republic was formed with celebrations planned across the country.

Each year, Turkey marks Republic Day on October 29, a commemoration of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey.

The first proclamation of the republic was officially declared by its founder and first president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.

On that day, the new name of the nation and its status as a republic was declared.

After the declaration and a vote in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, Ataturk was unanimously elected as new republic’s first president.

Celebrations

Crowds in the capital Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and as well as rest of Turkey are expected to take to the streets after Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced the ban on public gatherings, due to the ongoing state of emergency, would not affect Republic Day celebrations.

"Citizens who want to visit Anıtkabir can do so on November 10," Soylu told reporters.

Anitkabir is the final resting place of Ataturk.

Pointing to Turkey's long, glorious history, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "We see our republic as the acquisition of our 2,200-year-old state tradition, and the inheritors of the Seljuks and Ottomans in the region we live in, and which has been gained amid the conditions of these difficult times."

The US Secretary of State John Kerry also released a written statement on October 28 congratulating citizens of Turkey.

"On behalf of President [Barack] Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Turkey as you celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the founding of your Republic on October 29."

Celebrations in Istanbul will start at 19:00 with a lights show, followed by a fireworks celebration, kicked off by Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbas, at Ortakoy Square.

In the capital Ankara, commemorations will begin at Anitkabir.

Also, free concerts and other celebrations will be held across the country.