Macedonian Turks

Turkey and Greece are working on a new ferry line between Thessaloniki and İzmir which is expected to set sail in early 2017, drawing the countries closer together in the process. 

Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris, who has been enthusiastic in encouraging Turks to visit his city, was in Ankara for talks on the ferry line project that will carry both trucks and passengers. 

Turkey celebrated National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23 along with the 96th anniversary of the first season of Grand National Assembly.

There are few nations who are resilient enough and can do whatever possible to survive.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an appointed March 15 Hidayet Türko?lu, a former basketball star, as one of his senior advisers, a presidential office source has said.

Türko?lu, the first Turkish-born player to play in the NBA, has been recruited to give advice on sports.

The legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is still bitterly contested in today's Turkey. Approaching the centenary of the republic's establishment, the process of Westernization, secularization and modernization led by Turkey's nationalist founding father still provides the reference against which various political movements - whether sympathetic or antagonistic - define themselves. 

'Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: Heir to an Empire' by Ryan Gingeras (Oxford University Press, 212 pages, $17)

A reporter asks: "Visa requirements are lifted reciprocally with the Huns' state. Would you consider going there for holidays?"

The citizens' answers:

"Well that will be good; in fact we emigrated together with them from Central Asia."

"I am from the Black Sea. I usually would rather go to the Black Sea."

"No, I go to my uncle's place on the seaside in France."

Yesterday, Turkey commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic. Both the tall man and the short man with the almond moustaches praised Atatürk's vision, naturally without using the word "Atatürk" (Father of Turks), which they dislike.

Thousands of people on Nov. 10 flocked to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara to commemorate the founding father of the Republic of Turkey who passed away 77 years ago.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, Parliament Speaker ?smet Y?lmaz and other senior political figures also attended the commemoration ceremony at the mausoleum, An?tkabir.

Turkey will mark the 92nd anniversary of the country's founding, Republic Day, on Oct. 29, with ceremonies and celebrations across the country.