Türkİye

Turkey's children festival celebrated abroad

- National Sovereignty and Children’s Day celebrated in Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Syria and Bangladesh

23.04.2018 - Update : 24.04.2018
Turkey's children festival celebrated abroad

ANKARA

Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day -- observed every year on April 23 -- was celebrated in several countries across the world.

In Saudi Arabia, the International Turkish School of the Ministry of Education in Riyadh celebrated the festival with painting, poetry and other activities.

Students from the Japanese, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and German schools also performed at the event, which Turkey’s ambassador in Riyadh Erdogan Kok attended.

In Bangladesh, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) organized a ceremony at a playground it built in Cox’s Bazar.

During the ceremony, 500 Rohingya children received presents from Turkish officials, including Turkey’s ambassador in Dhaka Devrim Ozturk and TIKA’s Vice President Birol Cetin.

Separately in Syria’s al-Bab, which was liberated from terrorists during Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, the festival was celebrated for the first time at Bizaa town. Presents were distributed to children at a school.

In Kosovo, a ceremony was held at the state house in capital Pristina.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, including a delegation of ministers, lawmakers, mayors and representatives of Turkish institutions in the country, also attended the celebrations.

Turkey on Monday celebrated this year's 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.

Reporting by Mahmut Geldi, Figen Shaban, Furkan Abdula, Levent Tok and Omer Faruk Yildiz; Writing by Meryem Goktas

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