President Erdoğan: 'The Century of Türkiye is setting sail for its second century'

AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan made statements at the Vahdettin Pavilion on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic. Erdoğan said, "We are determined to realize our Century of Türkiye vision. On this historic day, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we once again declare to the whole world from the Vahdettin Pavilion."

''THE CENTURY OF TÜRKİYE IS SETTING SAIL FOR ITS SECOND CENTURY''

Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

"My dear nation, distinguished guests, I greet you with my most heartfelt feelings. I once again sincerely congratulate the 29 October Republic Day of the people living in our country and abroad. As a nation, we have experienced and are experiencing a truly different pride and excitement today. Our Republic, which we proclaimed on 29 October 1923, has completed its first century today and is setting sail for its second century, which we call the Century of Türkiye. May the 100th anniversary of our Republic, which we celebrate with glory and honor, be auspicious for our country and our nation.

I commemorate with gratitude all our veterans, especially the victorious commander of our War of Independence, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and all the heroic members of our Parliament and our army. Today, the Republic of Türkiye, which has reached its 100th year, continues to dazzle like a great plane tree.

The Republic of Türkiye is a cherished treasure passed down from hand to hand, heart to heart, and generation to generation for thousands of years. The Republic is not a break or an interruption, but on the contrary, it is a new budding. The Republic of Türkiye is not a rootless, historyless, spontaneous, or newly emerged state, and it has never been. The Republic of Türkiye is a cherished treasure passed down from hand to hand, heart to heart, and generation to generation for thousands of years.

Our Republic, which is a new link in our thousands-year-old state tradition, is not the first but the last state we have established in these lands.

''THE REPUBLIC IS A MATTER OF PRIDE AND A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION''

Today, we celebrate our Republic, which has reached its 100th year, with the pride of having a strong, rich, and deep-rooted accumulation. We can not only take lessons from the past, but also draw strength from it. Today, our Republic is both a matter of pride and a source of inspiration for us. Let us see how Gazi Mustafa Kemal describes the Republic he founded: The Republic was not won for free. We shed blood to obtain it.

''WE ARE TRYING TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF GAZA''

The founding purpose of the Republic, in the words of its founder himself, is to be the voice of the voiceless. The Republic has gained this quality in its full sense during our term. Today, the Republic of Türkiye is a country that is the voice of the voiceless, just as the Gazi desired. Wherever there is a tearful oppressed, victim, or needy person, it is Türkiye that rushes to their aid, holds their hand, and finds a cure for their troubles. From the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Asia to Africa, to Palestine, wherever there is a tearful victim, it is Türkiye, this nation, that rushes to their aid, holds their hand, and finds a cure for their troubles. We have shown this attitude before in Korea, Cyprus, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen, and most recently in Karabakh. Today, we are exhibiting the same determined stance for Palestine and Gaza, which the Gazi said 'no one can touch,' and we are trying to help the people of Gaza.

The Great Palestine rally, which more than one and a half million of our people attended yesterday, was a part of this. Even if some who lack historical consciousness and do not know the struggle of Gazi Mustafa Kemal seek different intentions, we did not just show our solidarity with Palestine yesterday; we also honored the spirit of Gazi Mustafa Kemal.

''WE ARE NOT MASTERS, BUT SERVANTS''

While our population was 13.6 million in 1927, it reached 85 million in 2022. Hopefully, we will exceed 86 million this year. Hopefully, we will all see a Türkiye of 100 million in the not-too-distant future. We have been serving our nation for 21 years; we are not masters, but servants.

In health, while our number of hospital beds did not reach 12 thousand in 1923, it rose to 164 thousand in 2002 and 268 thousand this year. While Türkiye had only around 1,000 physicians in 1928, it serves its citizens with 92 thousand in 2002 and 194 thousand today.

SENT A MESSAGE TO IMPERIALISM

As a cadre that has realized the dreams of Gazi Mustafa Kemal, we have entered the second century of our Republic with the vision of the Century of Türkiye. In the coming period, our greatest goal is to save our democracy from the shame of the coup constitution and to provide it with a civilian and libertarian constitution worthy of the 100th anniversary of our Republic. Victory belongs to those who say 'it is mine.' We have always worked and strived with this understanding until today. We have faced all the opportunities we encountered, from the betrayal of the century, July 15, to the disaster of the century, the February 6 earthquakes, with our heads held high. We are determined to realize our Century of Türkiye vision. On this historic day, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we once again declare to the whole world from the Vahdettin Pavilion. No imperialist power will be able to stand in the way of the Republic of Türkiye being happy, successful, and victorious.

May the Lord be our helper. I once again respectfully commemorate all the heroes, especially the founder of our Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I wish God's mercy upon those who have spared no sacrifice for these lands to be our homeland for a thousand years."

News Source: 12punto