KUALA LUMPUR, 15 NOV – Turkiye believed that Malaysia’s highly educated young population and strong infrastructure guaranteed the latter’s success.
Turkish Ambassador to Malaysia Emir Salim Yuksel said that Malaysia, at the heart of Asia, was clearly destined and capable of playing its part in this century.
He recalled how last year, Turkiye and Malaysia had elevated their bilateral relations to the level of a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.
“The bonds connecting Turkiye and Malaysia dates back to centuries and the friendship between the two countries proved itself strong and eternal.
“There have been high-level exchanges of visits, our trade volume and tourist numbers have been substantial, thanks to the determination of our leaders and the ever-increasing commercial mechanisms.
“We firmly believe our two countries are pivotal at the centre of our respective regions, and the friendship and cooperation at all levels and fields will lead to a better and brighter future,” said Yuksel at the ‘100th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Turkiye’ reception at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang.
Present were guest-of-honour Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Defence Forces chief Gen Tan Sri Mohamad Abdul Rahman.
Turkiye commemorates a significant historical milestone on Sunday as the country observes the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Republic.
Yuksel reflected how the proclamation by the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye on Oct 29, 1923, after the Turkish people fought long wars for the liberation of their homeland.
“Under the great leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, they successfully cleared their borders of occupying forces under very difficult circumstances.
“I am confident that the future generations will grasp the importance of being independent as a nation and continue to cherish it.
“Our country is proud of its achievements and just like its glorious past, we believe, it will have a glorious future,” said Yuksel.
He described the journey from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkiye as a tough but glorious process, which the Turkish people had to endure long wars – of the late 19th century, the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, World War I and the illegal occupation of parts of Anatolia.
“The modernisation and centralisation process of the state had already begun as early as the 18th century during the Ottoman times.
“With the republic, we accomplished an even greater reform and modernisation process.
“In other words, Turkiye is a direct successor of the Ottoman empire and the establishment of the foundation of the republic, in many ways, is a result of a process dating back to the Ottoman modernisation period,“ said Yuksel.
He added that Turkiye’s robust economic and defence growth over the past 100 years since independence took a significant leap forward after the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974.
“We are proud of our Armed Forces. At the same time, we fully grasped the reality that we have to be self-sufficient or at least close to be self-sufficient in defence matters.
“The same understanding goes for our counter-terrorism operations. We have capable, nationally produced defence industry products to support our defence forces in countering terrorism,” said Yuksel. – airtimes.my
#AirTimes #Malaysia #Turkiye
