ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on the world to "not to kill the children."
The president was hosting a group of 250 children from 34 countries at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
Referring to the works of 20th century Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet Ran, he said: "If you have no dream, then you have no goal. I want you to never give up on your dreams for your countries and the world."
"Never stop dreaming about bluest seas even if you are in the middle of a desert. We want to see hope in your eyes, not fear. Unfortunately, we see the tears of children every passing second."
He added: "Because of that we call on the world: ‘Gentlemen, don't kill the children!’”
On Thursday, Turkey will celebrate the 1920 foundation of the Grand National Assembly during the War of Independence.
Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was the first speaker of the assembly in Ankara, dedicated the day to the children of the world.
