During his presidency, the 11th President Abdullah Gül faced criticism for not participating in national holiday celebrations and not visiting Anıtkabir. He celebrated the Republic Day on October 29 with a message shared on his social media account. Gül must have anticipated potential criticisms, as he closed the comments on his post. "ATATÜRK AND HIS COMRADES..."In his message, Gül stated, "On the 101st anniversary of our Republic, I respectfully and compassionately remember Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades, our martyrs, and I express my gratitude to our veterans. Happy Republic Day to all of us." Here is Abdullah Gül's post; HE RESPONDED TO CRITICISMS LIKE THISGül responded to criticisms regarding his lack of participation in national holiday celebrations and visits to Anıtkabir eight years after leaving office. He stated: "During my presidency, it was claimed for a long time that I did not participate in national holidays and did not visit Anıtkabir. I considered it a disgrace to deny these claims, but when I saw that even those I never expected started to believe them, I felt compelled to make such a statement." During my 7 years as President, I attended all the national holidays I was supposed to and took pride in them. I ensured that they were celebrated in the best possible way. Before me, the receptions for the August 30 holidays were held in military houses. For the first time as President, I took them under my responsibility and ensured they were celebrated in a much more magnificent way at Çankaya. It was out of the question for me not to visit Anıtkabir. During my 7 years in the presidency, I only missed visits once due to my illness during a trip to Kyrgyzstan."
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