ANKARA
Around 600 children from 42 countries will participate in the International April 23 Children's Day to be celebrated in the central province of Konya.
It will be the first time that an international congress will take place on the sidelines of the celebrations. The International Congress on Children and Media Practices will last for two days.
On April 20, children all around world will travel to the capital, Ankara from Konya by high-speed train and visit Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the Founder of Turkish Republic.
The children will pay separate visits to Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation. It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
Every year, children in Turkey celebrate this "Sovereignty and Children's Day" as a national holiday. The President, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet ministers, provincial governors all turn over their positions to children's representatives. Children also replace the parliamentarians in the Grand National Assembly and hold a special session to discuss matters concerning children's issues.
