Distinguished members of Consular Corps of Houston,
Kıymetli vatandaşlarım,
Dear members of Turkish-American Community,
Dear Friends of Türkiye,
Hanımefendiler ve beyefendiler,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have gathered here this evening to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the preparation of this celebration and to you all for being here. Hoşgeldiniz, şeref verdiniz.

Dear friends,
The idea of founding a republic in Türkiye was based on multiple sparks created under the guidance of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Anatolia, where war-torn citizens and towns reunited to fight the Turkish Independence War.

After the proclamation of our republic, Türkiye strengthened its economic and political independence in a short time with rapidly realized reforms and became a strong country that set an example for the independence struggles of other nations under the rule of colonial powers.

We, the Turkish nation, are devoted to the republic as indispensable guarantee of our freedom and independence; and we consider it our most important duty to teach the ideals of the Turkish Republic to our next generations.

Dear friends,
Türkiye and the USA have long-standing alliance. This deep-rooted partnership has made important contributions to the peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic geography. Today, relations between Türkiye and the USA have diversified and intensified. Indeed, both countries have common interests on many regional and global issues.

The long-standing partnership and cooperation between Türkiye and the USA continue at an increasing pace. We are also happy to see that our trade relations have been increasing over the last decade. The trade volume between our countries amounted to 39,2 billion dollars in 2023 and the USA has become the second largest export market for Türkiye.
Just like trade, investments also constitute a significant aspect of our economic relations. We observe that investment flows are vibrant in both directions and more importantly, mutual investments are diversifying in some strategic sectors.

We see with great satisfaction that American companies contribute to Türkiye’s production, employment and export capacity. In recent years, we also observe that Turkish companies have also increasingly been investing in the USA. Total investments of Turkish companies have reached to 11 billion Dollars as of 2023.

The eight southern US states within the consular district of my Consulate have been playing important role in our bilateral trade and investment relations.

In 2023, Türkiye’s trade volume with these 8 southern states reached 7 billion Dollars.
Moreover, the investment figure is rapidly increasing as well. In fact, especially Texas is becoming a hub for Turkish investments. We have been observing a growing interest among Turkish companies toward investing in various sectors in Texas.


Dear Guests,
I would like to extend my special thanks to my wife Özge Akıntı and all Turkish consular staff who did their best for the smooth organization of this marvelous evening. Let’s give them a huge applause for their dedicated work.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I respectfully commemorate the Founder of our Republic, the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and all the unsung heroes of our Independence War.

I respectfully and sincerely greet you all, who came here tonight to celebrate our Republic Day, on behalf of the members of our Consulate General and myself.


Happy Republic Day!
Cumhuriyet Bayramımız kutlu olsun!