Erdoğan calls April 23 "symbol of democracy and national sovereignty"

Turkey's president on Thursday celebrated the 100th anniversary of the nation's parliament as well as National Sovereignty and Children's Day, saying: "April 23 is the most important symbol of democracy and the nation's sovereignty."

"When our homeland was occupied, our Grand National Assembly, which opened a century ago in Ankara, became the center of our nation's and the state's struggle for freedom," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a video message from his current residence at Huber Mansion in Istanbul.

He also commemorated the founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and all the martyrs of the country, saying: "The Republic of Turkey was built on the concepts of unity, solidarity, brotherhood, and solidarity."

"The late Mehmet Akif Ersoy wrote our national anthem not with his pen, but with the rapture that came out of every part of his heart," Erdoğan added.

He also marked the day as a sign of the value the Turkish nation places on its children and their trust in the youth.

Touching on the coronavirus pandemic, he said in Turkey the fight against the pandemic has been waged with characteristic "determination, faith and hope".

"We believe that we will overcome this disaster with the permission and grace of Allah, the discretion and concentration of our esteemed nation," he added.