President Erdoğan at Anıtkabir
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the ceremony, held at Anıtkabir (Atatürk’s Mausoleum) on the occasion of the 96th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Şentop, Vice President Fuat Oktay, members of the Presidential Cabinet, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, force commanders, presidents of high courts, Chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Chairwoman of the Good (IYI) Party Meral Akşener, Chairman of the Great Unity Party (BBP) Mustafa Destici, Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Erkan Akçay, representatives of political parties, and other officials were also present at the ceremony.
After President Erdoğan laid a wreath at the mausoleum, the attendees observed a moment of silence and sang the Independence March.
Afterwards, President Erdoğan proceeded to the Misâk-ı Millî Tower where he wrote in the Book of Honor the following:
“August Atatürk, we, as the nation, are today celebrating with great excitement the 96th anniversary of our Republic. We remember with mercy on this day, which is a source of pride for us, Your Excellency, all the heroes of our War of Independence and our august martyrs who died for our homeland, and address our gratitude to our veterans.
During a period in which attacks against our independence and national survival are on the rise, we determinedly continue our struggle at home and abroad with the spirit of resistance that led to victory in our War of Independence. We have once again showed with Operation Peace Spring, which we launched on October 9 and achieved great successes within a short span of time, our resolution to the entire world by crushing the terror corridor sought to be formed along our border with Syria.”
