SPEECH OF AMBASSADOR ÇAĞATAY ERCİYES ON THE OCCASION OF THE REPUBLIC DAY OF TURKEY (Beirut – 31 October 2016) Excellencies, Dear Colleagues, Distinguished Guests, I am delighted and honored to welcome you all to our national day. Before making my own speech, I would like to read out the message of the President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressed to you, on the occasion of our Republic Day: ‘’ 29 October 2016, marks the 93rd anniversary of the foundation of our latest state, the Republic of Turkey proclaimed under the leadership of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The Turkish nation, which has never given in to bondages and impositions, won its Independence War through a heroic victory against the invaders targeting its freedom and future. After this glorious victory, on 29 October 1923, we established the Republic of Turkey on the principle of “sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation" and aimed at raising our nation above the level of contemporary civilizations. We consider our Republic as an achievement of our 2200-years old state tradition and 1000-years of Seljuq and Ottoman heritage, attained under the difficult conditions of those days. The Republic of Turkey has progressed by overcoming all the difficulties it has faced during these 93 years and, thanks to recent breakthroughs in particular, it has now accomplished to stand among the rising powers of the world. Turkey, with its growing economy, strong democracy, its commitment to fundamental human values and principled and visionary foreign policy, continues to be an inspiration to its region and to the World also today. The recent events that took place on the night of July 15, 2016 reaffirmed beyond any doubt how the Turkish nation is unified with its state. That night, our nation demonstrated to the whole world that it would fight against the new invasion attempts as resolutely as in the Turkish Independence War. 1
The tenacity of the Turkish people, who defended fiercely its freedom, democracy, government and state, using their body as a shield against the arms of FETO member traitors are our greatest assurances on the path to achieving our 2023 vision for the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. I am honoured to be the President of this great State and heroic nation. I believe that, wherever they are in the world, all our citizens and friends are proud of the epic which was written on 15 July by our nation. We have reached the 93rd anniversary of our Republic after having overcome such a crisis which was not only a coup attempt and terrorist attack but also an invasion attempt. My fellow citizens and friends, be assured that Turkey is a stronger, more astute and more resolute country today than the morning of 15 July. No attack against our unity, solidarity, brotherhood, homeland, liberation and future will ever be successful. Neither terrorist organizations nor the ones exploiting them will be able to prevent us from achieving our goals. With these feelings and thoughts, I cordially congratulate all our citizens living in Turkey and abroad on the Republic Day. We commemorate with gratitude and blessing all our veterans, particularly Ghazi Mustafa Kemal, the founder of our Republic, who devotedly fought to make these territories our homeland, and all our fallen who sacrificed their lives for this cause. I extend my deepest gratitude to our heroic nation protecting the heritage of our ancestors, and to all our friends supporting us by their prayers. Happy 29 October Republic Day! Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, President of the Republic of Turkey�
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Dear Friends, Distinguished Guests, Now allow me to say a few words of my own. I have been proudly serving in this beautiful country for a year and this has been a tremendous experience for me to see how Lebanon is a shining example of peaceful co-existence of different cultures, religions and sects. Today, this has once again proven true Today, Lebanon has chosen its 13th President and opened a new page to the political deadlock paralyzing its state institutions for almost 3 years. I warmly congratulate the Lebanese people and their new president H.E. Mr. Michel Aoun. On behalf of my country, I would like to extend him our best wishes of success. After this historical moment, we look forward to seeing the formation of the new government as soon as possible. I believe that this atmosphere of unity will prevail and carry Lebanon further. Without any doubt, Lebanon’s success will be the success of the whole region. Dear Friends, Distinguished Guests, This year we also celebrate the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with Lebanon. Turkish-Lebanese relations have always been characterized by close friendship, solidarity and cooperation. Our two brotherly countries remain bulwarks of stability in an otherwise turbulent region. We are bound not only by the constants of geography, history and culture but also by a firm commitment to upholding unity in diversity, moderation and peaceful coexistence.
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I am particularly glad to note that our bilateral relations in almost all fields are growing at a steady pace. Turkey is firmly committed to the preservation of Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty, unity, security and stability. With this understanding, Turkey will continue to support Lebanon and further strengthen its bilateral relations in every field. As the Turkish Embassy in Beirut we will spare no effort to this end together with our Commercial Center, Yunus Emre Cultural Center and our development Agency TIKA. Before concluding my remarks, I would like to address briefly to my fellow compatriots in Turkish: Değerli Vatandaşlarımız, Soydaşlarımız ve Dostlarımız. Cumhuriyetimizin 93. yıldönümünü sizlerle birlikte Lübnan’da bir kez daha kutlamaktan büyük bir gurur ve mutluluk duyuyorum. Cumhuriyet Bayramımız kutlu olsun. Bu vesileyle Cumhuriyetimizin kurucusu başta Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ve silah arkadaşları olmak üzere, tüm şehitlerimizi, bu yıl kaybettiğimiz demokrasi şehitlerimizi saygı, minnet ve rahmetle anıyorum. Cumhuriyetimizin daha büyük başarılarla daha nice yıldönümleri kutlayacağı inancıyla hepinizi saygı ve sevgiyle selamlıyorum. Finally, I would like to extend our gratitude to the Lebanese authorities and the Lebanese people for hosting us in their beautiful country and express our appreciation for the close friendship and cooperation extended to us. Thank you very much once again for being with us today. Long live the Republic of Turkey, long live the Republic of Lebanon.
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