The slogan "Peace at home, peace in the world" (Turkish: Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh, rendered today as Turkish: Yurtta barış, dünyada barış due to Atatürk's language reforms) was first pronounced by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 20 April 1931 to the public during his tours of Anatolia. This stance was later integrated and implemented as the foreign policy of the Republic of Turkey.[1]
The original full sentence was "Cumhuriyet Halk Fırkası'nın müstakar umumî siyasetini şu kısa cümle açıkça ifadeye kâfidir zannederim: Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh için çalışıyoruz."[2] This is translated into English as "To describe the stable and general diplomatic policy of the Republican People's Party, I think this short sentence is enough: We work for peace at home, peace in the world."
The slogan was at the heart of a dispute causing the Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in Saudi Arabia in December 2023 to be postponed. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were expected to arrive for the showpiece between Turkey's league champions and cup winners with banners bearing Atatürk's words "Peace at home, peace in the world", which the Saudi authorities would not allow.
The players were also not allowed on to the pitch wearing T-shirts bearing Atatürk's image.[3]
Based on the leaked official documents of the Super Cup, which were agreed upon by both parties several months before the match, it was stipulated that no political slogans should be raised, and entry to the stadium should be in the official jerseys approved by the Turkish Football Federation.
The dispute arose from Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe's failure to adhere to the agreement made by the Turkish Football Federation. Turkish media suggests that the previous disagreements between the clubs and the federation were a major reason for their non-compliance, along with the federation unilaterally choosing the match venue without consulting the teams.