My dear colleagues from Consular Corps of Houston,
Distinguished business people,
Kıymetli vatandaşlarımız,
Dear members of Turkish-American Community,
Dear Friends of Türkiye,
Hanımefendiler ve beyefendiler,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by extending my warmest greetings and profound gratitude to you all for joining us and for sharing our pride and excitement this evening on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. Wellcome. Hoşgeldiniz, şeref verdiniz.

This historic milestone in twenty two centuries old Turkish history gives us a unique opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the Turkish Republic’s miraculous success story from the very beginning, in spite of the toughest conditions devastating the Turkish homeland after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Exactly one hundred years ago, following a glorious victory in the War of Independence against the invaders, the Republic of Türkiye was established under the unmatched leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with his main motto “Freedom and Independence form my character”. In Turkish words “Özgürlük ve bağımsızlık benim karakterimdir”.

Therefore, we remember all of our heroes with respect and gratitude, who contributed to the Turkish victory in our Independence War and to the foundation of our beloved Republic. They fought against the superior invasion armies in the toughest conditions, even with insufficient military supplies. Despite these extreme circumstances, they gained the Turkish independence. Because they were obliged to be successful and they devoted their lives to the noble cause of independence.

Since the proclamation of the Republic, Türkiye has undergone comprehensive and far-reaching social, political and economic reforms under the statesmanship of Atatürk, which unwaveringly anchored Türkiye among the democratic and modern nations of the world. Today his vision remains valid and continues to guide the Turkish nation and the Turkish leadership in a turbulent world.

Today is the day for us to proudly say that, after a whole century, Türkiye is a secular democratic state, governed by the rule of law, upholding universal values, such as peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights and human dignity.

The importance of Türkiye’s this successful transformation is perhaps more visible than ever today, as all regions surrounding Türkiye are still confronted with wars, conflicts, instability, poverty and humanitarian crises. In its hundred-year history, The Turkish Republic has already proven its resilience against the regional and global shocks. And thus, Türkiye became one the very few countries that are able to assume mediation roles to reach and preserve peace in and beyond our region.

In terms of economy, I should say that strong and competitive Turkish economy is now the seventh largest in Europe and the nineteenth largest worldwide, and our most precious assets are our young and skilled population, our unique geographical location and highly competitive industrial production capacity. Türkiye has already become the fourth most popular tourism destination globally, with more than 50 million visitors last year.


Dear friends,

Relations between Türkiye and the United States of America are based on historical, political, military, commercial, cultural and humanitarian bonds.

Türkiye and the United States, as NATO allies and strategic partners, share a common vision of promoting peace, democracy and prosperity.

We are proud of the level of our partnership with the United States, because our relationship is as strong as ever under the guidance and the leadership of our presidents.

We are also pleased to observe that Türkiye and the United States both share similar sensitivities on many serious regional and global challenges our world faces today.

By continuing to work together effectively to meet the challenges of yesterday, today and tomorrow, our two great nations will continue to serve to the regional and global peace and stability.

Distinguished guests,

In terms of economic and commercial relations between Türkiye and the United States, I should gladly say these ties are getting stronger in recent years. The United States has become Türkiye’s second export partner. Our presidents have already set a target of 100 billion Dollars trade volume. We are on our path to reach this target in coming years. According to the data published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, bilateral trade volume of goods and services between our two countries increased to 42 billion Dollars last year. The eight US states within our consular district, especially Texas, have been playing an important role in our bilateral trade and investment relations. I would like to announce with pleasure that the Lone Star State by itself is Türkiye’s biggest export and import partner in the United States and our trade volume with Texas reached to 6.2 billion Dollars last year.

Bilateral investments are also becoming more important in our relations. We have several Turkish and US companies operating and producing in both countries. Just in the Greater Houston Area, more than 20 Turkish companies have already made investments in different fields of economy. We also observe a surging interest from the Turkish companies to start business within our consular district in various sectors. I want to proudly mention that the biggest Turkish investment in the United States is located here in Houston. The perfect level of cooperation with the US officials and with our local partners facilitates this pleasant trend. I hereby would like to thank them for their valuable contributions.

Kıymetli vatandaşlarım,
Dear Guests,

The Turkish-American community, by building a cultural and humanitarian bridge between the two nations, has always been in the forefront in our friendship.

The members of the Turkish-American community are contributing in every aspect of the American society. I have had the opportunity to meet some of them and learned their success stories with pleasure. We are proud of their diverse and sustained achievements, including their contribution to the economic and social development of both countries.


Dear friends of Türkiye,

Thank you all again for joining us this evening to share our pride, joy and excitement to celebrate the centennial anniversary of our beloved Republic.

I want to extend my gratitude to my colleagues at the Consulate as well. They worked very hard for the organization of this wonderful celebration.

I definitely would like to make the closure with a quote from the founder and the first president of the Republic of Türkiye Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,

Quote; “One day my mortal body will turn to soil, but the Turkish Republic will stand forever”.

Quote in Turkish; “Benim naçiz vücudum elbet bir gün toprak olacaktır. Fakat Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ilelebet payidar kalacaktır.”

Long live Republic of Türkiye!
Çok yaşa Türkiye Cumhuriyeti!