On the evening of 28 October 1923, Mustafa Kemal gathered a few close colleagues for dinner at the Çankaya Mansion in Ankara. Over the meal he told them: "Gentlemen, tomorrow we will proclaim the Republic." The next day, the Republic of Türkiye was born.

That evening set the tone for what became known as the Çankaya Sofrası, the Çankaya Table. In the years that followed, Atatürk regularly brought politicians, intellectuals, writers and senior officials around it. Notebooks and pencils lay beside the plates, because these were working dinners as much as social ones. Guests came to debate policy, test ideas and imagine the future of a young state. Even the tableware bore his monograms: "GMK" for Gazi Mustafa Kemal, and later "KA" for Kemal Atatürk.

The dining room preserved today in the Atatürk Museum Mansion dates from a later expansion of the house. The tradition it represents, however, goes back to those first evenings of the Republic.

More than a century on, the table still does diplomatic work. Every 29 October, Turkish embassies around the world open their doors for Republic Day receptions. They welcome diplomats, officials, academics, artists and members of civil society. The guest lists are longer than at Çankaya, but the principle is the same: dialogue begins at a shared table.

On the 103rd anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, the Cultural Diplomacy Forum extends its warmest congratulations, with hopes for continued dialogue, friendship and cooperation across borders.

Happy Republic Day!

Cumhuriyet Bayramımız kutlu olsun!