Today, we proudly celebrate the 98th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey.
On 29 October 1923, Turkey’s War of Independence was led to victory by Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This victory created a strong spirit which brought the Turkish Republic into existence. Today, this spirit lives as strong as ever, under the strong leadership of H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey.
On this day, we remember with deep gratitude Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder of our Republic and all our veterans and martyrs to-date who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, including the veterans and martyrs who lost their lives during the heinous coup attempt against the Republic on 15 July 2016. Their sacred memories will forever remain in our nation’s heart. Turkey will continue to actively pursue its fight against Fethullah Terrorist Organization, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, killing 251 and wounding thousands.
From left: H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey; H.E. Ms. Serap Ersoy, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Thailand
Marking the 3rd anniversary of operations, Istanbul Airport became the busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger numbers in 2020.
During the last 98 years, Turkey achieved remarkable success in anchoring itself among the developed and modern nations of the world. Turkey is a beacon of stability and prosperity in its neighbourhood and a key regional actor. With the Presidential System of Government instituted in 2018, and under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, the country stands ready to continue to flourish dynamically and make its positive contributions as a reliable and responsible global actor.
Situated at the centre of a challenging geography between Europe and Asia, Turkey is determined to effectively respond to these challenges in a decisive and principled manner, as a reliable and responsible actor.
Turkey pursues an “enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy” at global scale and takes concrete initiatives to promote stability and prosperity in its region and beyond.
As a result of dedicated efforts, among others including the national defence industry, Turkey has achieved a sustainable industrial structure which is comprised of more than 1,000 companies, small and medium scale enterprises, research institutions and universities.
Humanitarian diplomacy is an indispensable aspect of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey has been a leading actor in this field with its focus on the human cause and through its official development and humanitarian aid. While everyone closed their doors and hearts to people in dire need, being aware of its humanitarian responsibilities, Turkey hosts over four million people who have fled their countries looking for safety.
Close relations with Thailand
2021 marks the 63rd anniversary of long-lasting friendship between Turkey and Thailand. Both our nations have enjoyed friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1958. However, the contact between our countries can be traced back as far as 120 years. Prince Damrong’s visit in the late 19th Century to İstanbul on his way to Continental Europe, though unplanned, turned out to be a most rewarding encounter between the two countries. The truly positive feelings and perceptions that formed between the Ottoman Sultan and the Thai Prince at that time are not surprising. Both our countries have deep histories, rich cultures and, above all, warm and hospitable peoples.
Marking the 3rd anniversary of operations, Istanbul Airport became the busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger numbers in 2020.
İstanbul, a city which has been capital to two empires, connecting two continents, and a melting pot of old and modern.
Turkey and Thailand are among the key drivers in their regions, with a goal-oriented dynamism based on great potential. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, trade volume between the two countries was about US$1.4 billion in 2020. Talks are underway for a Free Trade Agreement. Some of our leading companies are investing in Thailand to export their products to East Asia and Southeast Asia. Many more firms have entered the Thai market with brand new investments.๋ Just before coronavirus restrictions, Turkish Airlines flights between İstanbul and Bangkok increased from once daily to three times daily and it opened its 300th route to Phuket. Similar to Thailand, Turkey is also a hub for production. By establishing a presence in Turkey, Thai firms can reach a geography including Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean economic zone. Technology, connectivity, digitalisation, green economy are all areas of mutual interest. We believe that further increase in trade and investment between our countries will make our cooperation even more solid and long-lasting. Therefore, we call on Thai business people to benefit from the advantages of doing business with Turkey.
Visit of Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Thailand to attend the Turkey-ASEAN Meeting,26-30 July 2019
Besides vibrant bilateral relations, Turkey and Thailand also cooperate in multilateral platforms, especially at the UN. Turkey attaches great importance to its relations with ASEAN with which, also with the support of Thailand, it has now become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner. Our “Asia Anew Initiative”, which was announced in 2019, will present a further impetus to expanding our bilateral cooperation in addition to our existing cooperation within ASEAN. This initiative is a long-term endeavour, through which we expect to achieve tangible results on the basis of common interests yielding shared benefits.
As two centrally-located vibrant countries, Turkey and Thailand will continue to work together to enhance and deepen their cooperation, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora, to the mutual benefit of their peoples and with a view to contributing to the prosperity of their regions.
2023 will mark the 100th year of the Turkish Republic and 65 years of Turkish-Thai relations. I am confident that close cooperation and friendship between Turkey and Thailand will continue to strengthen in the future.
With these thoughts, as we reach the 98th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey’s foundation, I celebrate once again 29 October Republic Day.
- Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
- 61/1 Soi Chatsan, Sutthisan Rd, Huai Khwang
- Bangkok 10310, Thailand
- Tel +66 (0) 2355 5486-89, Fax +66 (0) 2274 7261
- Email: embassy.bangkok@mfa.gov.tr
- Website: http://bangkok.emb.mfa.gov.tr
