Turkey marks Kemal Ataturk's 81st death anniversary

The founder of Republic of Turkey passed away in 1938 at age of 57

ANKARA: Turkey on Sunday marked 81st death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, in the capital Ankara.

“We once again commemorate the Commander-in-Chief of the War of Independence, the founder of our Republic, our first President and Veteran Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on 81st anniversary of his demise,” Erdogan said.

“We will continue with all our strength to live, sustain, develop and strengthen our republic that we inherited from him,” he added.

Also attending the ceremony were main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Iyi (Good) Party leader Meral Aksener, the heads of high judicial bodies, commanders of armed forces, representatives of political parties, bureaucrats and other state officials.

Ataturk was born in 1881 in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led his forces to repel the allied invasion in Canakkale, known in the West as the Dardanelles.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Ataturk led the Turkish War of Independence which defeated European powers. When he became president, Ataturk transformed the former empire into a modern and secular country.

He passed away in Istanbul on Nov 10, 1938 at the age of 57.