95th National Day reception of Turkey in Seoul
Ambassador Ersin Ercin of Turkey hosted a reception at Crystal Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on October 29, 2018 in celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Turkey.
The party was attended by many Korean and international guests, as well as the ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps with their spouses.
Among the guests in attendance were Spokeperson and Deputy Minister Noh Kyu-duk of Public Relations and Ambassadors Gonzalo Ortiz of Spain, Milan Lajciak of Slovakia , Tomas Husak of Czech Republic, Ramzi Teymurov of Azerbaijan.
Excerpts from the speech of Ambassador Ersin Ercin follow:
Distinguished Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you all to the National Day Reception of the Republic of Turkey on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic.
The world has witnessed tremendous changes since 1923. However, Turkey has continued to grow and develop in all fields in the last 95 years and emerged as one of the fastest developing countries in the world at the early 21st century.
Our hope is that Turkey will reach its long-term objectives with its strong leadership, hard work and dedication of its people, rich natural resources and its proactive foreign policy.
It is an honour and privilege for me as the Turkish Ambassador to serve in such a friendly and brotherly country.
The long standing relationship between Turks and Koreans has started centuries ago in Central Asian steppes, as two nations lived side by side as good neighbours and friends, enjoying the same Altaic culture, developing similar customs and traditions and even languages.
This historic bond between two countries turned into a genuine blood brotherhood as the Turkish and Korean soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder in 1950’s in order to protect the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Korea.
On the basis of such solid historic and cultural ties, Turkey and Korea have developed excellent political, social and cultural relations which eventually led to the establishment of strategic partnership. Economic cooperation between our two countries is also developing fast with a newly set target of 15 billion Dollars. Two countries which are both members of the G-20 and MIKTA have set similar high economic targets for the future as the 11th and 17th largest economies in the world.
Turkey and the Republic of Korea also share countless common norms and values as two friends and allies and both countries have been seeking a more secure, stable and prosperous future for their own regions and beyond.
Within the context of those common approaches, Turkey strongly supports the ongoing peace initiative in the Korean peninsula that is expected to result in denuclearisation, lasting peace, prosperity and eventual reunification of two Koreas.
Therefore, President Erdoğan and the Turkish Government highly appreciate the strong leadership shown by President Moon Jae-in and his relentless efforts in forging the current peace process.
On this occasion, I would like to reiterate our strong desire for the continuation of excellent relations between Turkey and Korea and wish every success, peace and prosperity for the Government and the brotherly people of the Republic of Korea.
And now I would like to share with you the message of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the Republic of Turkey on the occasion on the anniversary of the Republic of Turkey.
