Text and photos: Juan David Latorre
The Turkish Embassy celebrated Turkey’s National Day last Wednesday with a reception for the Diplomatic Corps, hosted by Ambassador Nüket Küçükel Ezberci.
After remembering the victims of the DANA storm that caused flooding in Valencia a year ago, Ambassador Nüket Küçükel Ezberci noted that “storms, floods, earthquakes, fires—these are disasters that cause immense suffering. In these tragedies, we stand united and in solidarity, and we see how governments dedicate themselves to helping the affected countries. The solidarity and support shown by Turkey after the earthquakes, as well as by Spain after the DANA storm and the forest fires this summer, are moral values that allow us to look to the future with great hope.”
“All of this,” the ambassador continued, “confirms the great value of humanitarian diplomacy as a very important bilateral power. In this respect, we are pleased to see that our approaches coincide in many aspects with those of Spain, a country with an ancient civilization and state tradition, just like Turkey. In different regions of the world, and in many cases in our own region, we continue to make intensive diplomatic efforts to establish peace, stability, justice, and prosperity in the face of the challenges posed by conflicts.”
On the international stage, the Turkish ambassador noted that “we firmly defend multilateralism, a comprehensive and fair approach, coordination, and sincere cooperation in international and regional platforms, particularly the United Nations. Our common home, the heart of the Mediterranean, has seen the genocide that ravaged Gaza for two years come to an end with the ceasefire agreement. May it last! Spain’s conscientious and principled stance regarding Gaza has touched the hearts of the Turkish people and all the peoples of the world.”
Regarding the relationship with Spain, Nüket Küçükel Ezberci commented that “we maintain extraordinary cooperation, the ties of which stretch back centuries, both bilaterally and multilaterally between Turkey and Spain, our ally and sincere friend in the European Union. With numerous high-level visits and meetings, our bilateral, political, and military relations, as well as our parliamentary diplomacy, are expanding rapidly. At the same time, we tirelessly continue our joint investment and development initiatives. More than 700 Spanish companies operate in Turkey. We also offer opportunities in new-generation sectors such as logistics, technology, and renewable energy. The interest of Turkish businesspeople in Spain, and especially their willingness to collaborate in third countries, is growing steadily.”
“Following the successful start of our collaboration with the TCG Anadolu ship project,” the ambassador continued, “we are now moving forward with the Hürjet training aircraft. We should also mention our cooperation in tourism, culture, and education, which strengthens and enriches our human ties. Turkey and Spain, two of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, collaborate closely within the framework of the World Tourism Organization.”
“I wanted to express my pride and great joy that the number of weekly flights connecting many cities, including our capitals, has reached 152, making airports a second home for my team and myself. Furthermore, we have brought our societies even closer together with Turkish series -some romantic, others dramatic and crime-based- which now number nearly 50 in Spain,” the ambassador emphasized.
Regarding education, the Turkish ambassador stated in her address that “this year, for the first time in Spain, the Chair of Turkish Studies has been established at the Complutense University. We thank the co-directors of the Chair of Turkish Studies, Dr. Leticia Dorsh and Professor Beatriz Navarro, for their valuable work and their contribution to our academic relations.”
The ambassador added that, within the framework of this Chair, on November 19, “to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Alliance of Civilizations, which we co-founded with Spain, a conference organized by the Chair will be held. The High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, and the former Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, will participate as speakers at the event.” The global rise in radicalism, discrimination, Islamophobia, and xenophobia underscores the growing importance of this initiative.”
To conclude, the Turkish ambassador gave a brief historical overview. “102 years ago, under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, our people proclaimed their will to independence to the world. The Turkey’s republic, founded on the principle that sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation, was built on the ideals of freedom, justice, modernity and progress. Today, we continue to advance in the direction set by the goals established by our great leadership, with our strong democracy, our dynamic economy, and our contribution to regional peace and global stability,” she noted.
