Ataturk commemorated at his birthplace in Greece

A large group of Turkish citizens went to Thessaloniki (or Selonica) in Greece to commemorate the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on the 75th anniversary of his death on Sunday. The passengers on the "peace train" that departed from Istanbul arrived in Ataturk's hometown with a five-hour delay due to extended inspections at the Greek customs. Gathering at the garden of the house where Ataturk was born in Thessaloniki in 1881, many citizens could not hold back their tears at the ceremony. Participating in the ceremony, Minister of Health Mehmet Muezzinoglu said that Ataturk's understanding of the national struggle for independence has not only been an example for the Turkish nation, but also for all humanity, which dreams of independence and world peace. In addition to Muezzinoglu, who himself is an immigrant from Western Thrace, members of parliament, civil society representatives and Turkish students from different parts of the world participated in the ceremony. Due to the delay in the program, the "peace train" stopped at 9.05 a.m., the time of death of Ataturk, on the road instead of at Ataturk's house.