APRIL 23rd NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN'S DAY

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis attended the ceremony held in Taksim Square within the scope of the April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day activities.

Wreaths were laid at Ataturk’s monument and a minute of silence was observed in the ceremony which Minister for EU Affairs Bagis, Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, North Sea Field Commander Vice Admiral Recep Bulent Bostanoglu, Istanbul Deputy Mayor Ahmet Selamet also attended.

Minister for EU Affairs Bagis, addressing the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who made children a gift of April 23rd festival, noted down in the memorial book:

“We feel the excitement of being in your presence with our chidren who are the guarantee of our future. On the way to the establishment of modern Turkish Republic, you put a historic mark for Turkish nation to start its honourable struggle through convening the Turkish Grand National Assembly and you gave this responsibility to our children. 23rd Aprils are important in the sense that our glorious history would be learned by new generations and our children to whom we will entrust Turkish state would grow up conscious of this history. You had us take pride in being the first and single country in the world which made its children a gift of festival and shared this festival with the entire world as an expression of unshakeable trust you placed and love you had for our children who are the future of the nation.

We believe that the April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day you gave as a gift to children will contribute to strengthening of love and friendship bonds among Turkish and world children and creation of a world in which all human beings will live in peace. I wish our nation and all children of the world a happy festival.”

Source: AA