Republic of Türkiye's founder Atatürk commemorated in U.S.

The 86th anniversary of the passing of modern Türkiye's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was commemorated in the U.S. on Sunday.

The Turkish Embassy in Washington DC held a ceremony to pay tribute to Atatürk with the attendance of Turkish Ambassador Sedat Önal, embassy staff, and Turkish community living in the U.S.

The attendees observed two minutes of silence at 9.05 a.m. local time to mark the exact moment of Atatürk's death at the age of 57, and sang the Turkish national anthem.

Ambassador Önal said Atatürk was a "great leader" who devoted his entire life to the Turkish nation.

"The most important feature that distinguishes Atatürk from his contemporaries in many respects is that he always remained up-to-date with the principles and vision he put forward," he added.

The Turkish War of Independence started with Atatürk's landing on the city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast in 1919.

Anatolia's liberation from occupation opened a new chapter in Turkish history as the new country was recognized under the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.

On Oct. 29, 1923, Atatürk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country's status as a republic.

A vote then took place in parliament, the Grand National Assembly, and Atatürk was unanimously elected the first president of the Republic of Türkiye.

Atatürk served as the first president of the republic until his passing on Nov. 10, 1938 in Istanbul.