Turkey commemorates Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding leader of our Republic, with endless love, respect and longing on the 85th anniversary of his death. When the sirens sounded at 09.05, the exact time he passed away on November 10th in 1938, Turkish citizens all over the country stood in silence. Police officers on duty saluted.
A ceremony was held at Anıtkabir on the 85th anniversary of Atatürk’s passing away. The cortege, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, included Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş, members of the Presidential Cabinet, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, IYI Party Chairman Meral Akşener, heads of high judicial bodies, Turkish Armed Forces command, political party representatives, bureaucrats and other dignitaries. President Erdoğan laid a wreath of red and white carnations and a starred wreath at Atatürk’s mausoleum.
On the 85th anniversary of Atatürk’s death, the business world also published messages commemorating him with respect and love:
M. RİFAT HİSARCIKLIOĞLU TOBB President
“We will continue to protect all the works of the great Atatürk and the bright path of civilization he opened for us. In the second 100 years of our Republic, which has reached 100 years of age, we, as the Turkish business world, will work with all our strength to be worthy of his cherished memory. Ataturk left his mark not only on the history of Turkey but also on the history of the world with his achievements and views.
As our Republic, which he called his greatest work, leaves a century behind, no one should have the slightest doubt that we and the generations after us will strive to carry our country to the highest places in terms of both economy and civilization in the next century. We, as the Turkish business world, pledge once again that we will work with all our strength to ensure more prosperity, more employment and investment for our country. We bow respectfully in front of Atatürk’s high memory.”
ENDER YORGANCILAR President of the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry (EBSO)
We commemorate the founder of our Republic, our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on 85th anniversary of his death, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic with pride and happiness. As I have repeatedly stated on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, Ataturk’s vision is our greatest and most important source of inspiration. Because, as Atatürk said, the Republic has heralded a completely new life in terms of the security it has created in ideas and spirits. In order to exist in this new life, to develop, to prosper and to become a country at the level of modern civilization, it is necessary to work tirelessly with Atatürk’s vision. This is exactly what we are doing today and what we will always do. EBSO is an institution that has adopted Atatürk’s words ‘Development means industrialization’ as its motto from day one. In the 85th anniversary of Ataturk’s passing, I believe that the elements that we should emphasize the most among the cornerstones of his vision are ‘production’ and ‘determination to work’. And as he expressed perhaps every single day of his life, ‘education’ stands at the heart of this vision. Therefore, we have to raise well-educated individuals and instill in them the awareness of production and the determination to work tirelessly. This is the only way for us to look to the future with confidence; the only way for us to take firm steps into the future is Atatürk’s way.
JAK ESKINAZI Aegean Exporters’ Associations Coordinator President
On the 85th anniversary of his passing away, we commemorate with respect, gratitude and longing the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, the genius leader of our War of Independence, who brought us our Republic, whose 100th anniversary we celebrate this year, and who set the goal for Turkey to be among the contemporary civilizations. As Aegean exporters, we continue our work with projects themed Innovation, R&D, Design, Digitalization, Sustainability, Vocational Education and Vocational Training in order to reach our export targets in 2023 on the 100th anniversary of our Republic. We will continue to act in accordance with the changes in the world in order for Turkey to grow with exports in the second century of our Republic.
ISINSU KESTELLİ President of Izmir Commodity Exchange
We commemorate the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once again with respect, gratitude and longing on the 85th anniversary of his passing away. His ideal was to raise the Turkish Nation to the level of contemporary civilizations and to protect and defend the national will and national sovereignty under all circumstances. If we want our country to be among the most advanced and prosperous societies in the future, we must continue to work hard and produce, as Atatürk said, “The one who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty the best”. Having reached 100 years of age, we continue our belief in making our glorious Republic stronger in line with Atatürk’s principles and goals, and our determination for a brighter Turkey, and we bow with respect before the high memory of the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
SIBEL ZORLU President of Aegean Industrialists Business People Association (ESİAD)
We commemorate Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the commander-in-chief of the War of Independence and the founder of our Republic, with respect and gratitude on the 85th anniversary of his passing into eternity. In his 57 years of life, Atatürk, who packed many victories on the battlefields as well as a modern Republic and reforms far ahead of his time, inspired not only the Turkish nation but also all nations struggling for independence with his ideas and actions. He was a visionary leader who knew that military and political victories cannot be achieved without being supported by economic victories. The most sincere way to commemorate Atatürk is to read him well and to embrace his thoughts and values. As ESİAD, we continue to protect the founding values of our Republic with determination on the path shown by Atatürk.
MEHMET ALİ KASALI President of the Federation of Western Anatolian Industrialists’ and Business People’s Associations
We are on the 85th anniversary of the passing away of the Great Commander and Statesman Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who wrote epics with his unshakable faith for the unity of the Great Turkish Nation and the indivisible integrity of the homeland. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is an indisputable great statesman who illuminated the future of the Turkish Nation with his determination and perseverance in the darkest and most difficult times of our country. With his infinite trust and faith in the Turkish Nation, we commemorate Atatürk, who crowned the struggle for independence in every corner of our country with the establishment of our Republic, which we celebrate the 100th anniversary of today, with respect, gratitude, longing and love on this day.
CIHAN KOCER Gaziantep Young Business People Association President
Mighty Atatürk packed a Republic, an independent country standing firmly on its own feet and countless revolutions into his 57 years of life. I bow with respect before the memory of mighty Atatürk, who crowned the Turkish nation’s ideal of independence with national sovereignty, who gave hope to oppressed nations with his successful independence war, and who always had an exceptional place in the hearts of the honorable Turkish nation with his ideals and principles. Atatürk is more than a person, he is a great deed. The founder of our Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk represents a great idea with his independence war, his works and the direction he set for the Turkish nation. We are always committed to this great idea, to the memory of our founding leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and to the ideal of ‘rising above the level of contemporary civilization’ that he bequeathed to us.