It is a great pleasure to welcome you all heretoday to celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. Sharing this meaningful occasion with you here in Japan fills us withimmense joy.

On this special occasion, we pay tribute and ourdeepest respects to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and the first President of our Republic, whose philosophy and achievements still remain a source ofinspiration for our nation and the world at large.

Türkiye and Japan share a distinctive historical bond,built on the tragic Ertuğrul Frigate incident of 1890, during which the brave people of Kushimoto rescued 69 of our sailors and the Japanese Governmentprovided their return to Türkiye. Since then, Japan has been engraved in thehearts of the Turkish people and the two nations have nurtured cordial andfriendly sentiments towards each other.

Fast forward to 1985, Türkiye extended a helping handby evacuating 215 Japanese citizens from Tehran during the Iran–Iraq War.

As for the past 25 years, we have been witnessing thegenerosity and solidarity of the Turkish and Japanese people, as they run to help each other without hesitation in the wake of the devastating earthquakesthat struck both countries.

Türkiye and Japan, enjoy common objectives and sharedvalues, and as such, have elevated their relations to strategic partnership level in 2013.

We celebrated the centennial of the establishment ofour diplomatic relations last year.

It gives us great pleasure to see this remarkablemomentum continue, marked by a number of visits since the beginning of this year.

The Osaka Expo also served as a fruitful platform tofurther strengthen the cultural and social ties between our people. We welcomedmore than 1.2 million visitors at the Turkish pavilion.

People-to-people exchanges are also on the rise, as wehave now surpassed pre-pandemic levels in tourism. The increasing number offlights between Türkiye and Japan plays an important role in further enhancingthese ties.

We remain committed to further enhancing our relationsin various fields, including trade, investment, culture, tourism, science andhigher education.

Before concluding, I once again pay tribute to GaziMustafa Kemal Atatürk, his comrades, and all those who sacrificed their lives to build the thriving Türkiye we cherish today. Their legacy continues toinspire us for a brighter future.

Thank you all for gracing us with your presence onthis very special occasion.

Now, with your permission, I would also like toaddress my fellow citizens in Turkish