The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye celebrated in Athens

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye celebrated with a reception held in Athens, the capital of Greece.

Approximately 800 guests attended the reception held at the Grand Bretaigne Hotel in Athens on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, hosted by Türkiye's Ambassador to Athens Çağatay Erciyes.

Among those who attended the reception were Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostas Frangoyannis, representatives of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Greek public institutions, heads of diplomatic missions of foreign countries in Athens, military attachés, artists, academics, press and media representatives as well as citizens.

At the ceremony, which started with the reading of the National Anthem of Türkiye and the Greek national anthem, Türkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's October 29 video message to the citizens of the Republic of Türkiye and guests was shown.

Ambassador Erciyes, in his speech at the ceremony, said that the year 2023; He stated that it is the 100th anniversary of the Republic and the beginning of the new Turkish Century, as well as the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and emphasized that the Ministry is the 5th largest foreign affairs organization in the world with 260 representatives.

Expressing that a century is a small period of time in the glorious Turkish history, Erciyes pointed out that extraordinary progress was made in the first century of the Republic of Türkiye, from education to culture, from economy to science and technology.

Erciyes also touched upon Turkish-Greek relations and reminded that diplomatic relations between the two countries were established 183 years ago and that he was the 44th Turkish Ambassador in Athens.

Stating that the two neighboring countries share not only a common geography and history, but also a common future, Erciyes stated that the common interest of the two countries is cooperation, not conflict.

Ambassador Erciyes stated that he believes that all conflicts between the two countries can be resolved through a sincere and meaningful dialogue based on international law and good neighborliness, mutual respect for legitimate rights and interests, and harmony instead of hostility from history.

Recalling the meetings held by President Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis in Vilnius and New York, Erciyes added that preparations for the High Level Cooperation Council (HDIK) meeting to be held in Thessaloniki in December with the participation of the leaders of the two countries are continuing.

AA