Esteemed Members of the Diplomatic Community,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am delighted and honored to welcome you all to our National Day Reception.
I have been proudly serving in this beautiful country for almost three years and this is a tremendous opportunity for me to organize our National Day reception for the first time after the extraordinary days of global Covid pandemic.
The Republic of Türkiye was founded 99 years ago, on 29th of October 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, crowning Turkish War of Independence after the 1st World War. Since then, the Turkish Republic has been a source of inspiration for full independence and modernism for many countries at that time of the history.
On this occasion, I commemorate the founder of our Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his compatriots for their incredible leadership in forming a modern country.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you for being with us today for sharing the pride and joy of our nation on this very special day.
Dear Friends, Distinguished Guests,
Türkiye and The Gambia enjoy excellent relationship since the independence of The Gambia in 1965.
Türkiye highly values the friendship of the Gambia and we are willing to develop wherever it’s possible political, economic, commercial and technical cooperation for the mutual benefit of our two countries. We are proud to say that, our relations have gained momentum since 2011 with the opening of Embassies in our respective capitals.
Besides political and economic relations, there is an increasing interaction between Turkish and Gambian peoples, especially in the fields of business and education.
Our national flag carrier Turkish Airlines carries out three flights a week between ?stanbul and Banjul.
Many Gambian students travel to Türkiye for under and post graduate education every year, most of whom are scholarship holders. Since its establishment in The Gambia, International Maarif School has committed itself to provide highest quality education for students in a peaceful learning environment.
In the health sector, certain number of Gambian patients with irreversible diseases are treated in Türkiye every year under full financial support from the Turkish government.
T?KA and other Turkish non-governmental organisations, have been carrying out human-oriented assistance projects in The Gambia.
As the result of these, social interactions and human-to-human contacts are developing every passing day.
And of course, our cooperation in the fields of military and security is one of the main pillars of our relations since the establishment of the Turkish Gendarmerie Training Team for the Gambian military in the early 1990s.
During the last 30 years, thousands of Gambian soldiers have been trained either in Türkiye or in The Gambia. This year, 500 personnel of the Gambian Armed Forces have completed a very successful training program in Türkiye and proved their readiness for deployment to the Quick Reaction Force earmarked for a UN peace-keeping mission.
I am pleased to mention that Türkiye and The Gambia have remarkable cooperation at the international arena particularly at the UN and OIC which are the two largest intergovernmental organisations.
The Gambia has been undertaking important roles in the international arena. Filing a case for Rohingyas before the International Court of Justice, forthcoming OIC Summit to be held in Banjul and prospective OIC Summit Chairmanship are the most important milestones.
Having organized many regional and global summits during the past six years, we have been sharing our experience with The Gambia by organizing many training programs particularly in the areas of security, protocol, and media.
I truly believe that, in the years ahead our relations with The Gambia will further flourish with our joint efforts. This is also the main priority of our Embassy.
Excellencies, Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I truly believe that, in the years ahead our friendly and brotherly relations with The Gambia in all fields will further be strengthened with our cooperation. As the Turkish Embassy in Banjul, we will spare no effort to this end.
Taking this opportunity, I would like reiterate our heartful gratitude and appreciation to Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of our Republic, his fellow fighters and those who exerted utmost efforts for the birth of the Republic.
Without taking more of your time, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of you for being with us today.
Now, I would like to address briefly to my fellow compatriots in Turkish:
