97th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey

97th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey

Ambassador’s message

Evren Dağdelen Akgün, Ambassador

29 October 2020 marks the 97th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, which we celebrate with great pride. Pride stems from both the successes of modern Turkey and the legacy we have inherited.

On this occasion we pay tribute to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, our War of Independence martyrs and all fallen heroes.

This year, we cannot celebrate this day by getting together due to the COVID-19 pandemic but our enthusiasm is no less!

The pandemic has shown us the importance of solidarity, cooperation and multilateralism. This means peace, stability and understanding the world over. This is the basic tenet of how Turkey looks at the world.

Turkey is located in a region dubbed ‘the cradle of civilisation’ and it saw the invention of writing, the first coin, the first libraries, the earliest known temples and also the first written peace treaty, among others. 

Today, crises erupting in our neighbourhood are threatening peace and stability. Challenges and scourges like Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, pandemics, poverty, climate change, poor governance and refugee crises further complicate the international security environment.

Our foreign policy is guided by the founding principle “Peace at Home, Peace in the World” formulated by Atatürk, now with an “enterprising and humanitarian” approach to achieve security, stability and prosperity in our neighbourhood and beyond. To this end, Turkey aims to: reenergise regional cooperation mechanisms of which we have 14 set up; strengthen existing strategic relations with European and Transatlantic political/security structures; pursue outreach/partnership policies targeting Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; increase cooperation with global and regional organisations; and enhance economic-commercial relations and energy security and make use of digital diplomacy.

Global problems can only be resolved with genuine international cooperation. Thus, Turkey exercises effective diplomacy at multilateral fora, particularly the UN. Turkey’s call for the reform of the UN and the Security Council is based on her wish to see a more efficient UN. Our slogan in this context is “The world is bigger than 5”. 

Meanwhile, we make considerable efforts to reduce global vulnerabilities. Turkey is home to 4 million refugees, ranking the top refugee-hosting country. With over USD 8.5 billion in humanitarian aid, Turkey has been the most generous country as per assistance to national income ratio.

Turkey always prioritises mutual respect, diplomacy and peaceful means in resolving problems in a mutually beneficial way. Good neighbourly relations are the basis for more security and prosperity for everyone but this concept comes with common responsibility to exhaust every peaceful means in order to reach equitable and just solutions. Maximalist and excessive claims do not serve anyone. When such claims that no law nor logic nor basic sense of fairness can justify are imposed upon, it is only natural that Turkey will be firm in not allowing such attempts to harm its fundamental interests, and she will exercise her right to legitimate self-defence if need be. Turkey is determined to defend her legitimate rights and interests.

Our economy, 13th largest in the world, 5th in Europe (in ppp), has become one of the world’s most resilient economies. Average annual GDP growth of 5.3% makes Turkey the fastest growing OECD country during the 2003-2019 period.

The latest great news in the economic field relates to the energy sector. The recent discovery of 405 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the Black Sea is significant. The first gas from these fields will be produced by 2023.

HE Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey announced the first part of the gas discovery in August: “The Fatih, our drilling vessel, has discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserve during its drilling in the Tuna-1 Zone which it started on July 20, 2020.”

A G-20 member and a member or observer of nearly all international/regional organisations, we place significance on our relations with the Asia-Pacific and wish to capitalise on and further develop our bonds with Asian countries through country-specific and sub-regional approaches. We are part of or associated with various regional organisations, including the D-8, ECO, ASEAN, Asia Cooperation Dialogue, Asian Parl. Assembly, Pacific Islands Forum, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Turkic Council and Indian Ocean Rim Association. Currently we hold the Chair of four of them: the Asia Parliamentary Assembly, D-8, ECO and Asia Cooperation Dialogue. 

The unprecedented coronavirus outbreak is another test case for international cooperation. Turkey has demonstrated exemplary performance in addressing the pandemic, thanks to preparedness of her modern infrastructure, skilled health care providers, effective mobilisation of the health system, strong crisis management system, and comprehensive approach which targeted to leave no one behind. Turkey also extended a helping hand to different nations and provided medical supplies to 155 countries and eight international organisations. This is part and parcel of Turkey’s “enterprising and humanitarian” foreign policy, also reflecting the character of the Turkish people.

During the pandemic crisis, we benefited from the capacity of Turkish Airlines (THY), the 4th largest flight network, and repatriated 100,000 Turkish nationals from 141 countries, including around 5,500 foreigners from 67 countries. A THY repatriation flight from Bangkok last April also brought back Thai citizens from Turkey to Thailand. Thailand’s containment of the spread of COVID-19 has been impressive and is internationally hailed a success.

We see Thailand, as an important partner in Southeast Asia, and among the key drivers for our future enhanced cooperation in the region. Our “Asia Anew Initiative” announced last year will present an additional impetus to expanding our bilateral cooperation in addition to our cooperation within ASEAN, of which Turkey is a Sectoral Dialogue Partner. The initiative is a long-term endeavour, through which we expect to achieve tangible results on the basis of common interests, featuring shared benefits. 

Trade volume between our countries needs to better represent our potential. Negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement are underway which, once concluded, is expected to increase bilateral trade substantially. Before the lockdown, our businesspeople were achieving concrete results through visits and joint projects. With the “new normal” we have seen successful online B2B meetings. Through our respective Business Councils, a joint business webinar with sectoral meetings was held. I urge all our Thai friends to contact the Embassy’s Trade Counsellor or the Turkey-Thai/Thai-Turkish Business Council for commercial relations as the so-called Thai-Turkish Chamber of Commerce under the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce of Thailand does not represent Turkey. Set up by those affiliated with the FETO, the terrorist organisation which attempted a bloody coup in 2016, it has no legitimacy for my Government. 

Some of our largest companies have made Thailand their production hub for Southeast Asia. BEKO is manufacturing hi-tech refrigerators, with a capacity of one million units a year for both export from Thailand and sales here. KordSA produces tire cord fabric for tires for aircraft and cars, in Ayutthaya, manufacturing for 2 out of every 3 aircraft and for 1 out of every 3 cars while Hidromek factory located in Chonburi is producing excavation and construction vehicles.  Most of the cheese in the products sold in the most popular market chains in Thailand is from Tuğba Dairy factory.  Trust Rubber producing latex examination gloves at its Mukdahan factory is contributing to Thai and Turkih economies since 2013.  I am proud that these Turkish companies have factories here, employ hundreds of people and contribute to exports of Thailand.

Furthermore, last year in December, a Turkish company, Bozankaya, supplied the BTS Green Line with 88 train cars designed and built in Turkey. 

I am pleased to say that three Turkish companies active in the tourism sector here, last year brought about a million international tourists to Thailand. Before COVID-19 restrictions, THY operated 28 flights a week, including once daily to Phuket, contributing significantly to people-to-people contacts.

Opportunities for cooperation between our countries are vast and varied. We are happy to welcome Thai students on scholarships in Turkey, happy to see our scientists working on projects and our universities collaborating.

HE Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and HE Don Pramudwinai, Dep. PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Bangkok, 2019

Turkey and Thailand are important drivers in their regions with important goals they have set for themselves. Turkey is aiming to be among the top 10 world economies by its Centennial. Technology, connectivity, digitalisation, big data are all on our common agenda. I believe further trade and investments between our countries will make our cooperation even more solid and long term. I call on Thai business people to benefit from the advantages of doing business with Turkey, ranked 33rd in the world for ease of doing business and from where within four hours flight in any direction one can reach 1.5 billion consumers. Turkey truly is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. We are also part of Customs Union with the EU. 

The 60th year of our diplomatic relations was marked in 2018, through a Reciprocal Culture Year. 2023 will mark the 100th year of the Turkish Republic and 65 years of Turkish-Thai relations. Despite the COVID-19 challenge for all of us, as the world adjusts and countries reopen, I am certain that Turkey and Thailand will continue to take advantage of the opportunities and create new ones together. 

TURKEY: QUICK FACTS

• 5th largest economy in Europe, 13th in the world in terms of PPP

• Fastest growing economy of the OECD – 2003-2019; average annual growth rate of 5.3%

• Economy of USD 754 billion, 2019 

• Top refugee-hosting country 

• Most generous donor of humanitarian aid

• (After the coronavirus outbreak) 2nd biggest supplier of medical aid worldwide

• Dynamic, well-educated population of 83 million, half of which is under the age of 32.4

• Within 4-hours flight, easy access to multiple markets of USD 25 trillion GDP, USD 7.8 trillion trade, 1.5 billion people

• USD 90 billion: exports during the first seven months of 2020

• 1st in Europe in total value of Public-Private Partnership projects (2015-2019)

• 1st in Europe’s agricultural economy, 7th in global agricultural economy (2018)

• World leader in the production of dried figs, hazelnuts, raisins, dried apricots, a leading honey producer  

• 11,000 plant species (total number of species in Europe is 11,500)

• 4th in global geothermal power generation capacity, with 1.3 GW

• 5th in European electricity market, with 88.5 GW of installed capacity 

• 7th in Europe, 13th in the world in terms of installed solar capacity 

• 10th in global mineral diversity

• 7 Turkish companies now rank among the top 100 defence list

• 70% is the rate of indigenousness and nationality of Turkish defence industry.

• USD 3.1 billion is the export value of Turkish defence and aerospace industries in 2019.

• 4th on UNWTO’s list of most popular tourism destinations in Europe 

• 6th most popular tourist destination in the world 

• 49 million tourists in 2019

• 3rd among all countries with 463 blue-flag beaches 

• Longest coastline in the Mediterranean (7200 km.)

• 1st in Europe with 1,500 thermal springs 

• 600,000 plus foreign patients a year, high quality healthcare services

• Among top five destinations for medical tourism

• Istanbul Airport: first airport in the world to receive a new health accreditation, recognised by Airports Council International (ACI)

• Leading two important initiatives within the UN: the Alliance of Civilizations,  Mediation for Peace

• Co-chair of Group of Friends of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

• Host to the Technology Bank for LDCs

• Former Minister for EU Affairs, Chief Negotiator and Member of the Turkish Parliament Ambassador Volkan Bozkır serves as President of the 75th UN General Assembly

• 5th largest diplomatic network in the World  

Infographics: Turkish Exporters Assoc.

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