Türkiye celebrates National Sovereignty and Children's Day

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye on Sunday celebrated its National Sovereignty and Children’s Day and the 103rd anniversary of the foundation of the country’s parliament.

National Education Minister Mahmut Ozer kicked off the day by accompanying a group of children on a visit to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, in the capital Ankara.

The Turkish nation has full “faith and confidence … in our children, to whom we will entrust our holy homeland,” Ozer said in his message.

He also praised Ataturk and the Turkish parliamentarians who led the country’s War of Independence.

The National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Türkiye is marked by a festival for children, as well as special events at public offices, schools, and in the private sector.

The celebrations focus on children after Ataturk dedicated the day to children as the nation’s future.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly met for the first time in Ankara in 1920 during the War of Independence to lay the foundations for an independent, secular, and modern republic.