World children in Samsun for Turkey’s Children's Day

Celebrations of Turkey's 41st Children's Day began on Sunday in the Black Sea province of Samsun with the participation of children from 40 countries.

Governor Osman Kaymak told reporters that around 800 children from 40 countries took part in the event, organized by Turkish broadcaster TRT.

Kaymak said that each of the children was matched with a Turkish peer and hosted by their families.

The children will stay in Samsun to take part in activities including folk dancing through April 20, when they will proceed to the capital Ankara.

"The children will return to their homes with good relations and friendships made in Turkey," Kaymak added.

Turkey will celebrate National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23 as well as the 99th anniversary of the foundation of parliament.

The April 23 celebrations focus on children after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, dedicated the day to children as the nation's future.

The Grand National Assembly or parliament met for the first time in 1920 in Ankara, the country's future capital, during the War of Independence to lay the foundation for an independent, secular, and modern republic.