Turkey marks National Sovereignty and Children’s Day

ANKARA, TURKEY - APRIL 23: Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, oppositon Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and ministers visit Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during a ceremony marking the 98th anniversary of foundation of Grand National Assembly of Turkey on National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Ankara, Turkey on April 23, 2018. Turkey celebrates National Sovereignty and Children’s Day as well as the 98th anniversary of the foundation of parliament. In Turkey the holiday is marked by a festival for children, and public offices, schools, and the private sector also hold programs. The April 23 celebrations focus on children after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of Republic of Turkey, dedicated the day to children as the nation’s future. The parliament or 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. (Footage by Kivanc Gurbuz&Sitki Ilanbey/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)