On October 29th, Türkiye commemorated the 100th anniversary of the republic’s proclamation. To commemorate the occasion, the Ambassador to Sri Lanka hosted a celebration on the 30th at the Galle Face Hotel, which was attended by government ministers Wijedasa Rajapakse as the chief guest, Minister Susil Premjayath as president of the Sri Lanka Türkiye Friendship Association, and distinguished guests.
Address by Ambassador R. Demet Şekercioğlu on the occasion of the celebrations of the 100th Anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye
Hon. Chief Guest Wijedasa Rajapakshe, Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)
Hon. Guest of Honor Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education and President of the Sri Lanka-Türkiye Interparliamentary Friendship Association
Esteemed Dignitaries, Honorable Ministers, Parliament Members,
Excellencies, Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Kıymetli Vatandaşlarım,
Ayubowan, Vanakkam, Good Evening, İyi akşamlar,
It gives me immense pride and honour to welcome you all tonight, to celebrate a monumental milestone in the history of modern Türkiye.
A hundred years ago, on 29 October 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish War of Liberation, surrounded by his comrades and parliament members, proclaimed the Republic, declaring that “the sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation.”
Through his visionary reforms, the military genius who also proved to be an exceptional statesman laid the foundations for a strong Republic, which a century later emerged as a pillar of strength and stability in a turbulent region.
Contrary to popular belief, Atatürk did not seek to replicate Western civilization but to build a strong democratic, secular, and modern state while preserving the unique character of the Turkish nation.
Today, Türkiye:
- Is counted among G20 countries.
- Emerges as the second-largest army of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- Has built a strong national defence industry.
- Steadily becomes an energy hub.
- Provides shelter to millions fleeing war-affected regions.
- Stands as the most generous country in terms of humanitarian aid compared to her GDP.
In brief, Türkiye pursues an enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy in line with her founding principle, “Peace at home, Peace in the world,” in order to resolve crises, establish peace, stability, cooperation, and share prosperity in her region and beyond.
She tirelessly works to find peaceful solutions to the wars in Syria and Ukraine and spares no effort to stop the unprecedented atrocities in Palestine.
While consolidating her strategic locations around the world, Türkiye, through her “Asia Anew” initiative, also looks forward to strengthening her cooperation with Asian countries, many of which she has historical relations with.
In fact, it is well-known that relations between Turks and Sri Lankans go back long before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Ottoman Empire and Ceylon in 1864 when the First Honorary Consul of the Ottoman Empire was appointed in Colombo.
Later on, the young Republic of Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948.
So, 2023 is not just a year individually important for Türkiye and Sri Lanka, as we respectively celebrate the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye and the 75th year of the independence of Sri Lanka; it is also an important milestone in our bilateral relations.
Indeed, 2023 also marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of our Embassy in Colombo and the tenth anniversary of the launch of our national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines’ flights between Istanbul and Colombo with a stopover in Male.
On this historic occasion, I am proud to announce that Turkish Airlines’ first direct flight landed in Colombo this morning.
I am confident that this new arrangement will make a significant contribution to the Sri Lankan tourism market at a very crucial time and contribute to further developing our economic relations.
As we embrace the “Türkiye Century” I also firmly believe that our people-to-people ties, which have proven their strength by supporting each other during challenging times, most recently during the earthquake that struck Türkiye earlier this year, will continue to prosper in the years to come.
Long live Türkiye-Sri Lanka Friendship!
