H.E. Abdullah Gül’s Message on the Occasion of the 87th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic

My fellow citizens,

I would like to extend my heartfelt affection to you all as we are celebrating the 87^th anniversary of our Republic with great enthusiasm.

The Republic of Turkey was founded as a modern state based upon the will of the public through the struggle of our august nation, conducted under the resolute leadership of the great leader, Atatürk.

While the Turkish nation obtained its sovereignty and authority, our country, under Atatürk‘s leadership and with the guidance of our Parliament, experienced great transformation in all areas after the declaration of the Republic.

I would like to note on the occasion of the Republic Day that Turkey, achieving such huge developments in the past 87 years, is looking to the future with great hope.

With its success throughout the tremendous acceleration seen in recent years, Turkey is walking resolutely on the path to becoming one of the world’s strongest and most respected countries.

Turkey, through the realization of important structural reforms,  its maturing democracy and its considerable progression in the areas of  human rights and freedoms, has gained a satisfying process of stability.

Turkey, with its potential, the reforms it has realized, its growing economy, its maturing democracy and its rationalistic, constructive and multilateral foreign policy, is drawing the attention of the world to itself.

I also would like to underscore that Turkey, whose weight is continually increasing in the international arena, is taking more active roles in providing peace and security, both in its region and throughout the whole world.

We are talking about a country, once called “the sick man of Europe”, whose dynamism and achievements are admitted by all countries today and that has served as a source of inspiration for both many countries and the region.

We all should realize that Turkey’s future is very bright.

We also have to act very quickly in order to maintain our country’s current position and gravitas according to the world’s new conditions.Today, peace, stability and prosperity are directly related to democratic values and standards of human rights.

Therefore, we will continue to work to build a more peaceful and more prosperous Turkey arm in arm for the future by keeping this sizable growth momentum going.

Our basic priority in this process particularly includes making a new democratic and libertarian constitution and providing the Turkish public with the best social and economic standards.

I would like to reiterate the importance of making efforts toward a common understanding for our country’s happiness and prosperity and to enable every single individual of our nation to enjoy equal amenities and opportunities.

In the end, we want to see a Turkey having a first class democracy based upon the rule of law where there are no problems with rights and freedoms. We want to leave a happy, peaceful and prosperous country to the future generations.

A more developed democracy where all citizens can enjoy freedoms in the broadest definition will not only consolidate our unity and brotherhood within the country but also enhance our country’s dignity in the world.

If our main objective is to protect and dignify the Republic and to take our country to the level of the modern states that Atatürk indicated, we have no other choice in front of us.

I do not doubt that Turkey has the necessary power, resource and potential to reach these aims. While we are realizing this, our biggest source of power will be our nation and our august Parliament which bears responsibility for the aim to reach the level of the modern states.

We experienced how fruitless discussions and unnecessary conflicts wasted our energy in the past. We can overcome our problems through dialogue and common sense. Everyone should be confident of the fact that all problems will be resolved on a democratic basis. I hereby would like to accentuate once again the significance of being more tolerant, constructive and integrative.

As long as we can be self-confident and meet through common objectives, I wholeheartedly believe that we will grow stronger and more developed.

We are walking toward a better future as individuals of a great nation. We will always protect the values that brought our Republic into existence. We will carry Turkey all together into the future with the guidance of universal values.

I hereby celebrate the Republic Day with all our citizens here and abroad, our children and youth to whom we will entrust our future.

I remember Atatürk, the founder of our Republic; his fellow soldiers and our martyrs and other war veterans with gratitude and extend my affection and greetings to all our citizens on our Republic Day.