Category: General

ANKARA

Turkey on Saturday condemned the US extradition of Hampig Sassounian, an Armenian origin who assassinated a Turkish diplomat in Los Angeles in 1982.

Turkey learned that Sassounian was “deported to a third country,” said a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

“We consider this decision regarding the aforementioned terrorist as a grave mistake and a concession to terrorism and we once again condemn it,” Tanju Bilgic, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said in the written statement.

Turkish Consul General in Los Angeles Kemal Arikan was killed on Jan. 28, 1982, by Sassounian and his accomplice Krikor Saliba on behalf of an Armenian terrorist group.

Sassounian was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, while fugitive terrorist Saliba was claimed to have been killed in the Lebanese civil war in 1982.

Bilgic further said: “It is obvious that such decisions will serve to the agenda of circles seeking to glorify terrorism as a functional tool that can be used for political purposes, not to the fight against terrorism.”

Sassounian was convicted of fatally shooting Arikan while he sat in his car at an intersection in Los Angeles nearly four decades ago. However, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in favor of his release on parole earlier this year.

In a related development, Sassounian was reported Friday to have arrived in Armenia.

The Public Radio of Armenia, along with other Armenian news outlets, broadcasted a message by Sassounian confirming his arrival in Armenia.

The vast majority of the attacks on Turkish diplomats and citizens were conducted by the ASALA and JCAG terrorist groups.

The assassinations took place in the US, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Greece, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Portugal, Iran, and the UK.

At least 58 Turkish nationals, including 31 diplomats, were martyred by Armenian terrorist groups, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Source: Anadolu Agency

ISLAMABAD

The Turkish Embassy in Islamabad celebrated the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey on Friday.

An event was held in Islamabad that was attended by Pakistan Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry, ministers, lawmakers, diplomats, civilians and defense officials.

Chaudhry congratulated the government and people of Turkey for Republic Day and said Pakistanis have a special love for Turkey as both countries enjoy excellent relations.

“I would like to congratulate you (Ankara Ambassador to Islamabad Mustafa Yurdakul) and the great nation of Turkey,” said Chaudhry, adding that the huge gathering showed the love of Pakistani people for Turkey.

Talking about historical relations between Pakistan and Turkey, Chaudhry said the relationship is not 73 years old but much beyond that.

“The relationship that started in 1910 to 1920 when the Muslims of the sub-continent stood with Turkey, is still as warm, as gracious and is based on love and respect to each other,” he said. “The people of Pakistan feel love when we land in Turkey, and the people of Turkey feel love when they land in Islamabad, so it’s mutual.”

He noted good relations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Imran Khan and said they are not only good friends but have a trustworthy relationship.

“Turkey is not a country for us, but it’s a symbol of a great Muslim unity for us,” he added.

Yurdakul thanked participants for coming and said there is a reason Turkey and Pakistan celebrated together.

“This is the National Day of Turkey, the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey. But this is not only for us. I think we have a reason to celebrate together with Pakistan this beautiful occasion because we can never ever forget about what the Muslims of the subcontinent, largely today’s Pakistan, and its people have done for the survival of our country and our nation,” he said.

He read a message by Erdogan in which he congratulated his nation and friends on the occasion of the historical day.

Turk-Pak photo exhibition

Earlier, a photo exhibition, “1000 Years Connect,” was organized in the northeastern city of Lahore by Film Art Culture Exchange and Collaboration (FACEN), in collaboration with the University of Education

It was attended by Yasmeen Rashid, Minister of Health, Punjab; Younis Emre Institute Director-General Olash Artas; Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Education Muhammad Arshad; FACEN’s Executive Director Majid Rafiq; Turkey Urdu Executive Editor Muhammad Hassan and Lahore-based Turkish businessmen.

Rashid said that she is very happy to be a part of the event today.

“Such programs reflect the beauty of Pak-Turkish friendship and highlight a positive image of Muslim communities to the world,” she said, adding that Pakistan is very proud that Turkey is a strong and successful state.

*Kiran Butt contributed to this story from Lahore

Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL

Experts and academics from around the world on Saturday gathered in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul to discuss, for the first time, relations between China and Palestine as well as the country’s role and impact on the Palestine-Israel conflict.

The one-day conference is hosted by the Asia Middle East Forum in Istanbul.

“The conference will invoke the historical Chinese-Palestinian relations and standing on the most important political and cultural ties,” the organizers said.

During the event, “China’s vision and strategy and the nature of its renaissance and development role at the level of West Asia” will be discussed.

“The moot will also anticipate the Chinese role in seeking to achieve a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause,” they added.

At least 16 speakers, including those from China, are scheduled to discuss the Chinese support “against (Israel’s) occupation (in Palestine) and impact of the US-China conflict on the Palestinian cause,” along with other topics.

“The conference will also discuss Palestinian vision of the Chinese role in the Middle East,” according to the organizers.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey has administered over 116.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January, according to official figures released on Saturday.

More than 55.37 million people have been given a first vaccine dose while more than 48.61 million have been fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry said.

Turkey has also given third booster shots to some 11.12 million people.

Meanwhile, the ministry recorded 23,096 new coronavirus cases, 203 related deaths, and 28,632 recoveries over the past day.

As many as 344,163 new virus tests were done in the last 24 hours.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed nearly 5 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 246.2 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Celebrations marking the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey started Friday with state officials’ visit to Anitkabir, the mausoleum of the country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the capital Ankara.

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visiting Anitkabir to mark the Republic Day, stressed the nation’s determination to achieve its 2023 goals, when the republic is set to celebrate its 100th birthday.

 

“As members of a heroic nation with a glorious past full of victories, we are determined to meet the republic with its 2023 goals,” Erdogan wrote in the Anitkabir memorial book.

 

The president also accepted greetings at the presidential complex.

 

Republic Day is being celebrated across Turkey, its representations abroad, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

 

The government ceremony in Ankara will be accompanied by various events across the country including concerts, marches, and fireworks.

 

On Oct. 29, 1923, Ataturk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country’s status as a republic.

 

A vote then took place in Turkey’s parliament, the Grand National Assembly, and Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman, was unanimously elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey.

 

Since then, Turkey has celebrated Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.

 

Also marking Republic Day, Vice President Fuat Oktay said that the nation protects its independence today as it did in the past, and the country walks resolutely on the road towards a more powerful Turkey.

 

 

 

Congratulatory messages from abroad

 

Foreign ministers, diplomats, and international organizations congratulated Turkey on Republic Day.

 

The Foreign Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus marked the day on Twitter, sharing a photo.

 

On Twitter, Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, congratulated Turkey on the anniversary of the republic.

 

“We remember with deep respect all our martyrs who died in the struggle for independence,” he wrote.

 

Also marking the day, Hungary’s Ambassador to Turkey Viktor Matis said: “May the Turkish-Hungarian friendship always last!”

 

In a written statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated the Turkish people on the occasion.

 

Calling Turkey “an important NATO Ally and partner of the US,” he stated that longstanding ties between the two countries are built upon strong cooperation in the fields of trade, diplomacy, and security.

 

“We send best wishes as you celebrate this special occasion and look forward to expanding our partnership in the years to come,” he added.

 

Marking Republic Day on Twitter, the Spanish Embassy in Turkey said that the two countries continue working together to strengthen ties and improve the lives of the citizens of both Turkey and Spain.

 

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics conveyed “congratulations to our Turkish allies and my good friend and colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu celebrating Republic Day,” mentioning the Turkish foreign minister on Twitter.

 

“Today marks the 98th anniversary of the Republic Day of our strategic partner. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations and wholeheartedly wish success and prosperity to the friendly people of Turkey,” Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said on Twitter.

 

 

 

‘Join us in celebrating Turkey on Republic Day’

 

Norway’s Ambassador to Turkey Erling Skjonsberg also took to Twitter to extend his congratulations.

 

Meanwhile, NATO said on Twitter, posting a photo of a Turkish soldier: “Retweet to join us in celebrating our Ally Turkey on Republic Day.”

 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko extended greetings to the Turkish president and the country celebrating Republic Day.

 

“I am confident that Turkey will approach the centenary anniversary in 2023 with new great achievements in all the areas you have planned,” he said in a statement, also praising “Turkey’s dynamic development” and its active role at the both global and regional levels.

 

Lukashenko also wished Erdogan further success in his work as well as peace and prosperity to the Turkish people.

 

North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani extended his best wishes to Cavusoglu and other friends in Turkey in honor of the day.

 

In a video on Twitter, Osmani spoke in front of the Turkish and Macedonian flags while Turkey’s national anthem played in the background.

 

“We have a long history of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, that could be further developed with even greater dynamics in the interest of our countries and our citizens,” he said.

 

Serbia’s Foreign Ministry also congratulated Turkey on Republic Day.

 

“Congratulations and best wishes to our colleagues @MFATurkey and the people of Turkey on the occasion of Republic Day!” it said on Twitter.

 

Congratulating Turkey on Republic Day, Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry tweeted that the two nations “share strong bilateral ties & excellent relations” and will further strengthen their “diverse and fruitful cooperation.”

 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan also sent “warm felicitations” to Turkey on Twitter, noting that the bonds between the two nations were forged centuries ago.

 

“Firmly anchored in common faith, shared history & culture, we continue to transform our long-standing ties into a strategic partnership,” said Khan.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Turkish president on Friday inaugurated the Ataturk Cultural Center in Turkey’s metropolitan Istanbul.

 

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony on the 98th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “We are striving to repay our debt to the founders of our republic by setting out our 2023 goals and working day and night to achieve them.”

 

“We will not allow any obstacle, trap, or attack to prevent us from achieving the goals we have set for the 100th anniversary of our Republic,” he added.

 

All art and cultural activities at the center will contribute to a great and powerful Turkey, the president said.

 

“The Ataturk Cultural Center will remain standing for centuries as the place where the pulse of culture and art beats in our country,” he said.

 

Erdogan praised the Koca Sinan opera, which was especially composed for the inauguration, about famed Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan whose ingenious works dot the territory of the former empire, particularly in Istanbul.

 

The ceremony was also attended by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Minister Murat Kurum, Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanik, and Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu.

 

In the fall of 2017, Erdogan announced the new project known by its Turkish initials AKM, saying it would be a “symbolic” site in Istanbul.

 

The groundbreaking ceremony of the cultural complex at the famed Taksim Square was attended by Erdogan along with many Turkish actors and artists.

 

The new building boasts a world-class opera hall with over 2,000 seats, a theatre hall, backstage rooms, and fair areas.

 

The center also has meeting rooms, administrative offices, restaurants and art galleries.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The statuary heads of two Greek gods have been unearthed in an ancient city in western Turkey, according to an archaeologist working at the site.

 

The heads of both Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Dionysus, the god of wine, were discovered, excavation coordinator Gokhan Coskun told Anadolu Agency.

 

Noting that the statues’ bodies were found in a previous dig, Coskun, an archaeologist at Dumlupinar University, said the heads were unearthed during recent excavations in a creek bed in the ancient city of Aizanoi.

 

“These are important findings for us, as they show that the polytheistic culture of ancient Greece existed for a long time without losing its importance in the Roman era,” he said. “The findings suggest that there may have been a sculpture workshop in the region.”

 

Modern Turkey is the site of many ancient Greek and Roman era settlements.

 

With a history dating back 5,000 years, Aizanoi, situated 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Kutahya city center, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The gateway to a new era in the history of the Turkish nation opened 98 years ago today when “Sovereignty is vested in the nation without condition” became the vision for the running of the nascent Turkish Republic.

 

The Treaty of Lausanne, signed by Turkey on July 24, 1923, on one side, and Britain, France, Italy, Greece, and their allies on the other, recognized the modern Turkish state.

 

 

 

Two months later, on Oct. 13, the second term of the parliament, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, convened, and Ankara became the country’s capital. Then the name of the current regime had to be given in all clarity and the head of the new state had to be elected.

 

Until the election of the head of the new state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk executed the role of the presidency.

 

‘Tomorrow we will declare a republic’

 

On the evening of Oct 28, 1923, Ataturk hosted a dinner attended by his colleagues Ismet Inonu, Ali Fuat Pasha, Halit Pasha, and Kemalettin Sami Pasha.

 

Ataturk’s book Nutuk (The Great Speech) describes the dinner like so:

 

“During the meal, I said: ‘Tomorrow we will declare a Republic.’ The friends who were there immediately agreed with my thinking. We left the meal. From that moment on, I drew up a short program on how to act and assigned friends. You will see the implementation of the program I made and the instructions I gave.”

 

‘Long live the republic’

 

That night, Ataturk and Inonu prepared a draft law that changed some of the articles of the 1921 Constitution.

 

“After the speeches made in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on the bill containing the provision of the ‘The form of government of the Turkish state is the republic’ article, at 20.30, the proclamation of the Republic was accepted with the votes of all 158 members who attended the session. The proclamation of the Republic was greeted with applause and calls of ‘Long live the republic’.”

 

 

 

Then a vote took place in the assembly, and Ataturk was unanimously elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey.

 

In his victory speech, Ataturk said: “The Republic of Turkey will be happy, successful, and victorious.”

 

 

 

The way to form a government was reorganized. Under the new parliamentary regime, the president would appoint the prime minister, who in turn would choose his ministers and submit them for the president’s approval.

 

National holiday since 1925

 

While Inonu was assigned to form the first government, Fethi Okyar was elected parliament speaker.

 

The Turkish people celebrated the proclamation of the republic on the night of Oct. 29 as well as Oct. 30. Under a decree published on Oct. 26, 1924, it was decided to commemorate the proclamation of the republic with a 101-gun salute.

 

 

 

On Feb. 2, 1925, the Foreign Ministry proposed that Oct. 29 be a national holiday, and the next April parliament passed a law to this effect.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

On the eve of Friday, Oct. 29, Republic Day, Turkey’s president sent a congratulatory message to the nation marking the 98th anniversary of the Turkish Republic.

 

“I congratulate our citizens, living at home and abroad, and all our friends, who share our pride on this day, which is one of the golden links of our glorious history, on the occasion of 29 October Republic Day,” Erdogan said in a video message.

 

Erdogan also commemorated with gratitude Ghazi (honored veteran) Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the republic, and his gallant brothers in arms, who ensured victory in the Turkish War of Independence, “wishing Allah’s mercy upon our august martyrs who entrusted these lands to us at the cost of their lives.”

 

Republic Day is a Turkish public holiday commemorating Ataturk’s proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on Oct. 29, 1923.

 

Saying that Turkey left behind the most serious phase of the coronavirus pandemic by successfully managing it thanks to the strength and capacity of its healthcare infrastructure, Erdogan added:

 

“Likewise in the economy, we closed out 2020, when the global economy shrank by more than 3%, with a growth rate of 1.8 %. We have not allowed any deficiencies in any matter, from the fight against terror to public security and from investments to our cross-border operations.”

 

During this period, the support Turkey provided to Libya, which faced attacks by putschists, and Azerbaijan, which fought against the occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh, has changed the destiny of all three countries, Erdogan added.

 

“Also, we have thwarted attempts aimed at excluding our country and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from the hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he added, referring to Turkey and the TRNC’s maritime rights in the region.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency