Cord Byrd: “Today marks the 84th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. It is an auspicious occasion to commemorate…”

“Today marks the 84th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. It is an auspicious occasion to commemorate the abiding and enduring partnership between two great nations. In 1923, following the collapse of the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire and a 3-year war of independence, a Turkish World War I hero, Mustafa Kemal, helped found the Republic of Turkey. Kemal, who was later given the name Ataturk, meaning 'father of the Turks,' rejected the crumbling structures and outdated modes of empire and embraced instead a platform of reform and modernization, a legacy that continues in Turkey to this day and to this hour. Today Turkey is the most successful example in the Muslim world of a secular representative democracy. Turkey's economy has grown at a record pace in recent years to become the world's 19th largest. Literacy and education rates continue to climb, as life expectancy has improved and poverty rates have declined. Turkey stands as an inspiration to reformers in the greater Middle East and throughout the world. Turkey has been a consistent and loyal ally of the people of the United States.”