“We project security and stability in our region and beyond and strive towards a fairer and more representative world order,” said Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Ali Kaan Orbai at the reception dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.
According to the Ambassador, Türkiye experienced many challenges over a hundred years but has grown stronger and more resilient.
“Welcome to our birthday celebration. Our republic has turned 100. I thank you all for sharing our pride and joy with us today. I particularly want to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili for giving us the privilege and the honour to host him tonight with us on this auspicious occasion. One hundred years ago, when we embarked on this journey with 14 million tired but determined people, we had few roads to mention. Today, 85 million enjoy 70,000 kilometres of roads and 13,000 kilometres of rail network. Back then, we had a few factories to talk about.
Today, our trade volume is 650 billion U.S. dollars. With a robust industrial base and an export-driven economy, our produce reaches all corners of the world. A hundred years ago, we were battling a low literacy rate.
Today, we have 28 million students in our educational institutions. We host more than 50 million tourists each year, connecting peoples and bridging cultures as we have always done in history. As a founding member of the UN and the Council of Europe, and as a staunch ally of NATO for more than seven decades, we project security and stability in our region and beyond and strive towards a fairer and more representative world order. We not only host five million refugees, but in terms of per capita income, We are also a leading donor nation of relief and development aid in the world. To reach that point over the past hundred years, we have overcome many challenges and hardships. We entered our centennial facing the natural disaster of this century. On 6 February, we lost more than 50,000 souls within seconds during the earthquakes. May they find eternal peace. We will, and we are recovering from this tragedy, grow stronger and more resilient.
Let me take this occasion to express our gratitude to Georgia. As true friends, our Georgian sisters and brothers rushed to our assistance on the very same day of the earthquakes. I also want to thank His Excellency Prime Minister Garibashvili, whom I know personally coordinated the Georgian response to our call for assistance. Our 17th-century explorer, Evliya Celebi, described the Georgians as kind and clean-hearted people. How true he was. We are fortunate and proud to have Georgia as our neighbour. We believe in Georgians! We believe in Georgia and her bright and prosperous future! Georgia had the same faith in our future even during the time of our independence war. Independent Georgia was the first country to send a resident ambassador to the Ankara government in 1921. We embraced each other again after 70 years when Georgia regained its independence.
Today, Georgia is our strategic partner. Our relations in all fields flourish on the base of shared values, common cultures, family bonds, and mutual respect. We will continue to be the strong supporter of Georgian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its ever-closer integration with the Euro-Atlantic security and political structures. Distinguished guests, at one hundred, we are still a relatively young republic. But we are not a young nation. The republic was built on the robust foundations of two millennia of state tradition, as symbolized by the 16 stars in the presidential seal. The inspiration and strength we draw from our profound history and ancestral values will guide us into our new century. I must also mention that this year marks the 500th anniversary of the foundation of our foreign service.
Today, with 260 missions around the globe, Turkish diplomacy promotes peace and stability in a volatile world riddled with conflict. We will always advocate peaceful resolution of disputes, and we will not deviate from the time this dictates of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – Peace at home, Peace in the world. I take pride, I take great pride, in being a member of this deep-rooted institution, and I’m particularly proud to serve in a friendly and brotherly Georgia.
As I end my words, I want to express my special gratitude to our sponsors whose generous contributions ensure the success of our celebration. I want to particularly mention the Turkish Business Associations, Gürtiyat, Müsliyat, and Deyik, and their members whose names are displayed on the banners. I also want to thank Turkish Airlines, Tava Nişbank, for going the extra mile to support us. Finally, I want to thank you all again for being with us tonight on the centennial of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey. Happy Republic Day. Happy birthday Turkiye,” he said.
