Republic of Türkiye turns 103: Erdoğan calls for “a Turkic century” as greetings pour in from the Turkic world

On 29 October Türkiye marked the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic. The day began with a state ceremony at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior officials; Erdoğan later received holiday greetings at the Presidential Complex.

In his Republic Day message Erdoğan said, “We will carry the Republic of Türkiye to much brighter tomorrows together.” At an evening dinner for the leaders attending the Organization of Turkic States summit, he said the Republic “keeps advancing from success to success” and wished that “the unity and togetherness of the Turkic states last forever”, adding that he believed they would work together to make the coming era a Turkic century.

Greetings came from across the Turkic world: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sent Erdoğan a letter, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov sent congratulatory telegrams. Tatarstan's head Rustam Minnikhanov and Mustafa Abdülcemil Kırımoğlu, national leader of the Crimean Tatar people, also congratulated the Turkish nation.