Turkey celebrates National Sovereignty and Children's Day

Turkey celebrates the National Sovereignty and Children's Day on Saturday, April the 23rd, The World Bulletin reports.

High state officials headed by Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Republic of Turkey. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, members of the Council of Ministers and a number of deputies accompanied Sahin.

After laying a wreath at Ataturk's mausoleum, Mr Sahin said that the Turkish parliament was determined to do its utmost to carry on Ataturk's cause and strengthen Turkey's national sovereignty, to develop democracy and freedoms and to make Turkey one of the leading countries of the world.

The Grand National Assembly was inaugurated in Ankara and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern Republic of Turkey on April 23, 1920, during Turkish people's War of Independence. Ataturk also dedicated this day to the children of the country to emphasize that they were the future of the new nation. Since then, April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day is celebrated in Turkey as a national day. April 23 is the only children's festival in the world. The importance of April 23 as a special day of children has also been recognized internationally and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) endorsed this important day as the International Children's Day.

Every year on this date, children from all around the world come together in Turkey to enjoy Children's Day celebrations and festivities in a hope that these memories of friendly atmosphere will contribute to a future of enhanced brotherhood and peace among nations.