Esteemed Fellow Ambassadors, Distinguished Military Attachés, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank you all for being with us here tonight to share our joy and pride, as we celebrate our Victory Day.

What does make the 30th of August so important and special? Why do we celebrate it every year exultantly and proudly?

As you all know, the First World War brought the Ottoman Empire to an end and the whole Empire was invaded by the foreign invaders including Great Britain, France, Italy and Greece. In 1919, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish Nation initiated an Independence War against the invaders and fought for its very existence under very difficult conditions. The 30th of August marks the victorious end of this Independence War. On 30 August 1922, the final battle of the Turkish Independence War in Dumlupınar against the invading Greek forces, which is called as Great Offensive was won by the Turkish Army and since then, the day 30th of August has been commemorated and celebrated as Victory Day.

This year we celebrate the 96th anniversary of this glorious victory which paved the way for the foundation of our modern state one year later. With the new Turkish Republic declared in 1923, the Turkish nation, under the leadership of its great leader Atatürk, started to build a modern, prosperous, strong and peaceful state and society.

This ever vibrant spirit has been the driving force of Turkey. We can call this as Great Offensive Spirit.

The stance displayed by the Turkish people during the bloody 15 July coup attempt in 2016 is a vivid display of the vitality of the Great Offensive Spirit.

At that night, all Turks united their forces around our common values and defeated the members of FETO terrorist organization.

Turkey’s resolute fight against terrorist organizations such as FETO, DEASH, PKK and its Syrian affiliate YPG is also another reflection of this Great Offensive Spirit.

With these thoughts in mind, today we remember once again with deep gratitude, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his friends in arms, all heroes and martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and homeland.

I wish God’s mercy upon all our fallen and veterans.

Distinguished guests,

The modern Turkey founded after the Victory Day has been a peaceful, responsible and a constructive member of the international community.

As a country, which suffered a lot from the wars and conflicts, we highly appreciate the value of peace and stability. Both of which have become great longings today in our neighborhood and in the world.

Under extremely difficult and sensitive conditions, Turkey is doing her best to alleviate the sufferings of the peoples around us, by providing humanitarian assistance and shelter to millions of civilians desperately escaping from conflict and war. Turkey, today, hosts more than 3.5 million Syrians at his home.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In recent years, Turkey’s bilateral relations with Kuwait reached excellent level. Military relations do not make exception in this framework. Especially bilateral visits at the highest military level played significant role. I would like to also thank, in front of you, Military Attache of our Embassy Colonel Bahtiyar Eren for his excellent and dedicated service.

In addition to bilateral relations, Turkey considers Kuwait as great partner in its efforts for peace and stability as well as humanitarian assistance. We welcome and support Kuwait’s recent invaluable efforts for peace and stability of the region and the world. While Turkey becomes the greatest donor of the world with respect to GDP, His Highness Amir Sheikh Sabah gets the title of Humanitarian Leader from the UN for his efforts in the field.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I also would like to thank my colleagues who worked very hard to make this special night a success.

I would like to thank you once again for being with us at this special day for Turkey and the Turkish nation. I hope you would enjoy the company and our cuisine.

Thank you!