Republic Day (Turkey) status of the nation as a republic was declared and its official name was proclaimed to be ("the Republic of Turkey"). After that, a vote was held in the Grand National Assembly, and Atatürk was elected as the first President of the Republic of Turkey. Republic Day (Turkey) The Republic Day of Turkey () is one of the public holidays in Turkey commemorating the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. It lasts 35 hours, starting each year at 1:00 pm on 28 October. The holiday commemorates the events of 29 October 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared that
Accession of Turkey to the European Union the customs agreements which Turkey had already signed as a precondition to start EU membership negotiations in 2005, it is obliged to open its ports to Cypriot planes and vessels, but Turkey has not complied so far; refusing to do so until the EU eases the international isolation of Northern Cyprus. In February 2013, Turkish EU Minister Egemen Bağış told the Republic of Cyprus, "if you truly want salvation, truly want peace, then remove your blockade of Ercan Airport to EU member countries and Turkey will open its ports to you." Turkey's refusal to implement a trade pact between Turkey