Turkey greets children's day, centenary of parliament

By Firdevs Bulut and Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's president on Thursday wished youngsters a happy April 23 Children's Day and congratulated the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish parliament.

"I congratulate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish parliament, and the Children's Day of all children in Turkey and around the world," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.

In a video message, Erdogan addressed children saying: "In a world darkened by wars, conflicts and hunger, one thing that makes the world beautiful is the smile of a child. You are our future and our hope.

"You will be the artists, politicians, scientists, teachers of the future. You will build a fairer world. I congratulate your day once more, and commemorate Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who gifted this day to our children."

Meanwhile, senior government officials and politicians under the chairmanship of Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop attended a ceremony held at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.

Vice President Fuat Oktay, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and Good (IYI) Party leader Meral Aksener also attended the ceremony.

After leaving a wreath at the mausoleum, the board observed a moment of silence and sang the National Anthem. The event was kept limited as a precaution against the novel coronavirus, with participants donning face masks.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 185 countries and regions worldwide, with Europe and the U.S. the worst-hit regions.

Worldwide cases have exceeded 2.63 million with more than 183,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Over 714,000 have recovered from the virus, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Turkey marks April 23, the parliament opening anniversary, as a festival for children, while public offices, schools and the private citizens also hold programs.

The celebrations have been dedicated to children since the early days of the country at Ataturk's instruction.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly met for the first time in Ankara in 1920 during the War of Independence to lay the foundations for an independent, secular and modern republic.