H.E. Ministers, leading PFDJ Members,
Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic community,
Distinguished guests,
Kubratın Kubranın,

I have the pleasure to welcome you all to our National Day Reception, which is being held on the occasion of the 91st Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. Today we have another reason to celebrate: the Turkish Embassy in Asmara is now one year old.

Dear guests,

Turkish and Eritrean people have so many similarities.

Like the Eritrean People, we, the Turks, know very well the meaning of sovereignty, freedom and independence. The people of Türkiye had survived through several consecutive wars for decades, including the devastating WWI which was followed by the Turkish Independence War under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

During our Independence War, the people of Anatolia in poverty, for their survival, freedom and independence, fought all alone against the richest and most powerful nations of the world. The aftermath was not easy for the young Republic either. Devoted people of this destructed country, left the animosities behind, turned their faces into the future and worked very hard for development. Led by the principle of “Peace at home, peace in the world” as its founder Atatürk described, the war-tired Turkish Nation managed to start reforms and the Republic overcame all challenges.

Today Türkiye is a functioning democracy with a vibrant political culture, the fastest growing economy in OECD and the 16th largest economy in the world. With its unique natural beauties, history and culture of hospitality, Türkiyeis the 8th most wanted tourism destination in the world. According to the UN Global Humanitarian Assistance Report, Türkiye is the fourth largest humanitarian assistance provider. Furthermore, it is among the biggest donor countries at global scale.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the Ottoman Period, the Turks had been in Africa for many centuries. Based on this fact, which made my country as an Afro-Eurasian state, Türkiye's policy of opening up to Africa was not just the reflection of transient political and economic expectations. On the contrary, it is the product of a process with a strong historical and cultural background, supported by the firm feelings of friendship and partnership between Turkish and African peoples. Our relations with Africa have gained a substantial momentum since 2008, when we started so called “Opening up to Africa” Policy. Türkiye has given further boost to its Africa partnership by supporting the principle of “African solutions for African problems”.

As a reflection of our policy, we tried to intensify our relations with all African countries. In May 2009 Türkiye had 16 embassies in Africa. The number rose to 35 in 2013. It means we opened 19 new embassies in Sub-Saharan Continent within only 4 years. Last year, we decided to deepen our relations with African countries, therefore “Opening up to Africa” approach was replaced by the “African Partnership Policy” and consequently the Turkish Embassy in Asmara was opened as the 35th Turkish Embassy in this continent.

So I arrived one year ago as the first ever resident Ambassador of Türkiye in Eritrea. I came with one luggage and one laptop. Now, I am very happy and proud to declare that we have already finalised the establishment process of the Embassy and today we celebrate our first birthday together with the 91st birthday of our Republic.

I am very pleased to be here. And I want to extend by sincere thanks and gratitude to the whole Eritrean nation and authorities that let me feel home with their generous hospitality and warm welcome. Based on our centuries old historical and cultural ties, we regard Eritreans as our brothers and sisters and attach great importance to our relations. Both countries want to establish and deepen multi-dimensional relations, which will be realised step by step. In this vein, Turkish Airlines started its scheduled flights as of 20th August. The flights built a new bridge not only between Eritrea and Türkiye but also with Eritrea and the world. I am very happy to witness the growing interest of Turkish businessmen to Eritrea as well. Our bilateral trade volume increased five times within one year. I encourage Turkish businessmen not only to develop commercial relations with Eritrea, but also ask them to come and invest in this beautiful country. I am confident that the 1st Turkish-Eritrean Business Meeting which will be held next week in Asmara, is going to be instrumental to contribute for deepening bilateral economic ties.

We opened our Embassy only one year ago, but our bilateral agenda is full with common projects and our common vision is not limited to economic and commercial relations. The Asmara University and Gazi University in Ankara concluded a partnership agreement. We already started scholarship programs and are working on bilateral academic exchange programs as well.

We attach great importance not only to inter-state relations in every field but also to people to people contacts. Our nations have historical ties dating back centuries. So we want Turkish people to know Eritreans and Eritreans to know their Turkish brothers and sisters better.

Dear guests, kubratın kubranın,

I don’t want to keep you more. Because selections of Turkish Food, which is one of the three main cuisines of the world, are waiting for you at our backyard.

Using this opportunity, before we listen to the Eritrean and Turkish National anthems, I thank you all for honouring our reception and raise my glass for the Turkish-Eritrean Friendship.

MEH’ZENET ERITRA’N TURK’N N’ME’WAEL