The 75th Anniversary of Atatürk’s Death

09.11.2013
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Below is H.E. President Abdullah Gül on the 75th anniversary of the death of great leader Mustafa kemal Atatürk:

“We remember the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on the 75th anniversary of his death with tribute and gratitude.

While we are commemorating him today, we are continuing to make tireless efforts to raise the level of our country to that of the modern civilizations as per the very target he pointed out.

Atatürk, with his peaceful vision, reforms, thoughts and actions, was a great leader who changed the course of history and to whom all of humanity pays respect.

Performing very well the duty, which the Turkish nation gave him, Atatürk upgraded the level of our country through his vision, sagacity and deeds.

At a time when authoritarian regimes gained strength, the foundation of the Republic based upon the national sovereignty demonstrated the trust Atatürk and the parliament put in democracy. The Republic’s dynamic structure that pivots upon the people have provided the implementation of all the principles and rules of democracy. Through the Republic, the foundations of the transition toward democracy were laid.

Realizing great accomplishments in his short life, Atatürk, through the power and support which the nation granted him, dedicated himself to the target to raise the level of Turkey to that of the most advanced countries. Achieving great successes despite the limited means of that time, Atatürk enabled the nation to rise from its ashes through the contributions of our nation and the parliament and paved the way for a great transformation process for Turkey.

It was not easy to achieve these in a poverty-stricken country that was invaded from the four corners. The union and solidarity we have enjoyed for thousands of years, our resoluteness to live independently and our passion for independence were our biggest strength in this process.

Despite the hardships experienced from time to time since the proclamation of the Republic, Turkey, through the will of our nation and thanks to its determination to protect its sovereignty, has settled military, political and economic crises and taken serious steps toward the establishment of the universal standards of democracy.

Making great progress in terms of human rights and freedoms, Turkey, while ripening its democracy, is consolidating its economy through huge investments and projects and displaying tireless efforts to raise the level of prosperity of its citizens.

We as a whole country and nation is looking ahead as per the very targets Atatürk pointed. I am glad to reiterate that Turkey today is a country that the whole world is listening to, whose friendship is really needed and cherished and which is playing an active role in the resolution of international matters.

We will continue to do our best to make Turkey a country among the world’s strongest countries. This is our biggest responsibility to Atatürk and our ancestors all of whom left this beautiful land to us.

Our nation will overcome all of its problems in union and solidarity and continue to serve as a good example for others as it has done for thousands of years. I have no doubt that we have all the necessary capabilities and sources to achieve this. Our nation is proud of having a great leader like Atatürk, who left his mark in the history of the world.

In this vein, I once again remember the founder of our Republic, great Atatürk, his comrades in arms, all the other heroes and heroines of the Independence War with tribute and gratitude.”

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