October 29 Republic Day

Throwing a reception to mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey at the Çankaya Presidential Palace, President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül welcomed their guests at the entrance of the reception hall. A number of invitees including top state officials, businessmen, artists, athletes and journalists participated in the reception.

President Abdullah Gül hosted a reception on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey at the Çankaya Presidential Palace.

The First Couple welcomed their guests at the entrance of the reception hall and chatted with them during the reception.

BROAD PARTICIPATION IN THE RECEPTION

Attending the reception the First Couple hosted were TBMM Speaker Cemil Çiçek; the leader of the main opposition party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu; Deputy PMs Beşir Atalay and Bekir Bozdağ; ministers; Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel; Commanders of the Armed Forces; officers from various ranks and their spouses; the wife of the late 8th President Turgut Özal, Semra Özal, who attended the reception for the first time since her husband’s death in 1993, and other important names from the business, arts, sports and press world.

IMPORTANCE OF UNITING THE REPUBLIC WITH DEMOCRACY

President Gül, offering his thanks to the invitees for their participation in the reception he hosted to mark the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey,said Turkey, despite some interruptions, has been able to overcome its own problems on its own. “The multi party system was adopted in Turkey in 1950, but its democratic aspect has always been problematic indeed. Our objective is to unite the Republic with democracy, thus raising our country to a level beyond that of the modern states.”

Turkey, he stated, has made considerable progress toward raising its standard of democracy, but he added it still has much to do in this regard, adding that it will continue to do its best to achieve this goal. The President further underscored the significance of economic development of the country and reiterated that Turkey should go beyond the level of being a middle income country. “We have to have the necessary energy and resoluteness to develop in every area including the economy. We still have a lot to do in order to become a country with a 30,000-dollar income per capita.”