Turkey celebrates Republic Day

Turkey is set to officially mark the 93th anniversary of its republic’s founding day on Oct. 29, with celebrations for the day being excluded from a security-motivated ban on public events that the government imposed on the capital Ankara, Hürriyet reports.

Republic Day will officially be celebrated as crowds in Ankara and other cities are expected to hit the streets after Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the ban on public gatherings in Ankara and the southeastern province of Gaziantep would not affect the Oct. 29 events.

“Citizens who want to visit Anıtkabir can do so on Nov. 10,” Soylu told reporters, referring to the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, adding that official ceremonies and events, including Oct. 29 Republic Day, were “separate cases.” 

The ministry had introduced bans on public gatherings and marches in Ankara until Nov. 30 and in Gaziantep until Oct. 31, citing security concerns. 

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)  had announced that it would march to Anıtkabir to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey on Oct. 29, despite the ban.

Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar all issued statements on Oct. 28 to mark Republic Day, Hürriyet writes.

Turkish political scientists discussed the significance of the Republic Day for Turkish people today in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

Political scientist Togrul Ismail noted that this holiday is a symbol of unity of the nation. 

"This holiday, the Republic Day, can be called a fight for national independence. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, countries that won in the World War I occupied Turkey, tried to divide it among themselves. However, the Turkish nation, led by Ataturk, rose against them, and the fight for national independence of the country began. Turkish Republic was created as a result," he explained.

According to him, today's holiday is relevant more that ever, because in the modern world Turkey faces problems that require unity of the entire nation, such as terrorism and a threat to national security.

Political analyst Burhan Ozkoshar agreed that the Republic Day is very important today. "We live in a difficult time, when some power groups try to implement dangerous trends and elements of Sharia into the presidency system. In this context, it is important to stress that Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government are supporters of the republican regime," he noted.