29/10/2010 14:32
Turkish military “organizes demarche” on Republic Day
Today Turkey is marking the 87th anniversary of proclamation of the Turkish Republic.
Turkish politicians and military taking the occasion demonstrate their convictions and viewpoints on the Republic Day. Turkey’s President traditionally organizes a big reception on October 29, attended by members of government, representatives of the General Staff Headquarters, political parties, heads of foreign diplomatic missions, figures of art and journalists.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, stated “he is not attending the reception and is going to mark the holiday with the people,” which was perceived as a politically motivated step, Euronews reported citing ITAR-TASS.
However, the military created even a bigger intrigue. According to CNN Turk, the General Staff Headquarters is today hosting a reception simultaneously with the presidential reception. Thus, according to the source, the command of the main kinds of troops will not attend the presidential reception which testifies to a disagreement between military and civil authorities in Turkey.