(MENAFN) Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy inaugurated the restored Ataturk House in the Greek port city of Thessaloniki on Sunday, as stated by reports. Located on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, the site serves as a tribute to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye. “Paying tribute to Ataturk means safeguarding the republic and the future while also accepting responsibility for the nation,” Ersoy said, expressing respect and gratitude for Ataturk’s legacy.

Ersoy emphasized that Ataturk was more than a statesman, describing him as a leader who “left an indelible mark on the nation's heart,” and noted that the restoration demonstrates the respect and loyalty shown to his memory. Underlining Türkiye’s commitment to democracy, independence, freedom, and the republic under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said that Ataturk’s birthplace “is not merely a building but the place where the first steps toward the republic were taken.”

The minister explained that the ministry undertook comprehensive restoration and exhibition planning in 2022 and oversaw the project, which began on December 19, 2024. Restored to its 1953 museum state, the Ataturk House now features renovated rooms, an ethnographic exhibition, a library, and floors dedicated to the history of both the house and Ataturk himself.

Highlighting Türkiye’s dedication to preserving cultural heritage, Ersoy added that the Thessaloniki Ataturk House reflects these efforts, echoing Erdogan’s message that the house should symbolize peace between Türkiye and Greece. Greek Deputy Tourism Minister Anna Karamanli remarked that the reopening of the house “provides an important opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations and promote good neighborliness.”

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