Occasion to confirm once again the blood brother relations, Amb. Okcal

The 92nd Victory Day celebration of Turkey in Seoul was a venue to confirm once again the blood brother relations of the two countries, as were delivered by the speeches of Minister Park Sung-choon of Patriots & Veterans Affairs, Republic of Korea and Amb. Hakan Okcal of Turkey in Seoul.

▲ Amb. Hakan Okcal of Turkey in Seou (center) slices a congratulating cake while Minister Park Sung-choon of Patriots & Veterans Affairs etc. right, claps hands during the opening ceremony.
Victory Day (Zafer Bayramı) is a national holiday in Turkey, always celebrated on 30 August. It may also be known as Armed Forces Day. Victory Day commemorates the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar which was the decisive battle in the Turkish War of Independence in 1922, honouring also the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
In a commemorating function, held on Aug. 30th at the downtown Lotte Hotel Seoul, Minister Park stressed the peculiar long history of the two nations, saying that Turkey and Korea were active in Central Asia together since one thousand years ago. As an important nation of blood brother countries with Korea since Turkey's participation in the Korean War, Korean people are knowing very well that Turkish people have a warm affection toward Korea, Park said.
Through bilateral FTA agreement which came into force from May 13th, 2013, trade figure increased 35% last year in comparison with the previous year, amounting to 10 billion dollars, Park introduced. Thanks to the noble sacrifices of the UN Armed Forces including Turkish soldiers, today's Republic of Korea has risen to the most dynamic economy in Asia from a war-torn country 60 years ago, he said.
Amb. Hakan Okcal of Turkey said through his welcoming remarks: "Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, Turkey was occupied by allied forces but this led to start of the Turkish War of Independence in 1919, with the Turkish forces led by General Mustafa Kemal".

▲ LTC. Salih Ataman, Turkey Army Attache (center) poses with his colleage military attaches during the function.
The battle of Dumlupınar took place in Kütahya province in western Turkey. Although foreign forces didn't leave Turkish soil until the autumn of 1922, 30 August is accepted as the date of the Turkish army’s victory, he added. The Turkish Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, in the new capital of Ankara. Atatürk was elected as the first President. Victory Day was first celebrated on 30 August 1923, becoming a national holiday in 1935, according to the Embassy of Turkey.
In conjunction with the outcome of the Korea Foreign Minister's visit to Turkey recently, Amb. Okcal expressed gratitude, saying that Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, as government delegate of the Republic of Korea and at the invitation of the Turkish government, attended the inauguration ceremony of the Turkish President held in Ankara, Turkey, on August 28. On the sidelines of the ceremony, he met with new President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister-designate Ahmet Davutoglu to exchange views on ways to advance the relations between the ROK and Turkey, according the press release of MOFAT.
In the aforementioned meeting, he delivered the letter from the ROK President to her Turkish counterpart conveying her willingness as ROK leader to deepen and expand the ROK-Turkey ties. In response, the Turkish side welcomed Foreign Minister Yun to the presidential inauguration ceremony and extended appreciation for the letter from the ROK President, expressing confidence for further advances in the bilateral strategic partnership under the new Turkish government, as it has special bond with and good feelings toward the ROK.
The visit to Turkey by Minister Yun carries significance in that he attended the inauguration ceremony of the Turkish President and met with the new President and the Prime Minister-designate of Turkey to reaffirm the deepening ROK-Turkey ties since the establishment of their strategic partnership in 2012. The visit also holds significance as an opportunity to solidify the bond with Turkey’s top-level officials in order to expand and strengthen the foundation of the bilateral ties, such as by forging economic ties in new sectors for cooperation, such as defense industry, construction and energy, and moving cooperation forward in MIKTA -- a consultative mechanism among Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia.

▲ Amb. Hakan Okcal of Turkey (center) shares Turkey 92nd Victory Day celebration with distinguished guests including president Synn Il-hi of Kyeimyung University & vice governor Hong Jong-kyoung, Gyeongsangbuk-do (second from left & second from right, respectively).
In addition, during his visit to Turkey, Minister Yun laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Monument in Ankara and hosted a luncheon for Korean War veterans of Turkey. At the luncheon, Minister Yun, emphasizing the great role of the dedication and sacrifice of the Turkish veterans in the growth of the ROK as a country that contributes to international peace and prosperity, extended appreciation to the veterans. In response, the Turkish veterans expressed their deep gratitude to the ROK government and people for commending their sacrifice through the ROK Foreign Minister’s visit to Turkey and laying a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Monument.
Victory Day is celebrated across Turkey and on northern part of Cyprus and is a celebration of the Turkish military and the Turkish republic. The main celebration is held at Atatürk's Mausoleum in Ankara. A ceremony is also held at the War Academy in Istanbul, with all military promotions made on this day, while marches are held in major cities across the country.

 

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