Distinguished participants, dear guests and colleagues,

Thank you for honoring us today, as we are celebrating a cornerstone of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. I would like to communicate the message issued on this occasion by the President of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Today we are celebrating the 97th anniversary of the Victory Day, which is one of the golden rings in our chain of victories of our glorious past. *

“Bugün millet olarak şanlı tarihimizin altın halkalarından birini, 30 Ağustos Zafer Bayramı’nın 97. yıldönümünü kutluyoruz. *

On this occasion, I commemorate Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Commander-in-Chief of our War of Independence, the honorable members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and all the soldiers of our heroic army who gifted us this victory, with gratitude and respect.

Büyük Zafer’in 97. yılında milletimize bu zaferi armağan eden İstiklal Harbimizin Başkomutanı Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’ü, Büyük Millet Meclis’imizin saygıdeğer üyelerini ve kahraman ordumuzun tüm askerlerini rahmetle, minnetle yâd ediyorum.

I also congratulate the Victory Day of our citizens living in the 81 cities of Turkey, around the world and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti’nde, 81 ilimizde ve dünyanın dört bir yanında yaşayan vatandaşlarımızın her birinin 30 Ağustos Zafer Bayramını gönülden tebrik ediyorum.

“The Great Offensive” started on 26 August 1922 under the command of the Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal and after the arduous struggles, a decisive victory was achieved in Dumlupınar.

26 Ağustos 1922 tarihinde Gazi Mustafa Kemal’in Başkomutanlığında başlayan Büyük Taarruz, verilen çetin mücadelelerinin ardından Dumlupınar’da zafere taşınmıştır.

After this epic victory was won on 30 August 1922, our nation broke free from the chains of captivity, which had been seen fit for it and declared to the world that it would not compromise its liberty at any cost.

30 Ağustos’ta kazanılan bu destansı zaferle milletimiz, kendisine reva görülen esaret gömleğini yırtıp atmış, ne pahasına olursa olsun bağımsızlığından taviz vermeyeceğini tüm dünyaya ilan etmiştir.

Our Great Victory marked the new upsurge of the Turkish nation and heralded the birth of the Republic of Turkey.

Son devletimiz Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin de müjdesi olan Büyük Zafer, tarihten silinmek istenen Türk Milleti’nin yeniden şahlanışının adıdır.

Like all our victories in history, behind the August 30^th, there lies the courage of our heroes who sacrificed their lives without blinking their eyes.

Tarihteki tüm zaferlerimiz gibi 30 Ağustos’un arkasında da gözlerini kırpmadan hayatını feda eden kahramanlarımızın cesaretleri vardır.

Our nation is always ready to show the same sacrifice and courage for its liberty and future for the sake of the homeland.

Milletimiz, dün olduğu gibi bugün de istiklal ve istikbali için, canından aziz bildiği vatanı uğrunda aynı fedakârlık ve cesareti göstermeye hazırdır.

The struggle of the Turkish Armed Forces within and outside our borders to protect our national perpetuity is the clearest proof of this.

Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerinin, milli bekamızı korumak gayesiyle sınırlarımız içinde ve dışında yürüttüğü mücadele, bunun en açık delilidir.

We are determined to break down all the traps set against our country in the northern part of Syria, Iraq and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Let me say few words in Turkish.

Değerli misafirler,

Suriye’nin kuzeyinde, Irak’ta ve Doğu Akdeniz’de ülkemize karşı kurulan tüm tuzakları bozmaya kararlıyız.

We will never allow usurping the rights of our nation and the Turkish Cypriots.

Milletimizin ve Kıbrıs Türklerinin haklarının gasp edilmesine kesinlikle izin vermeyeceğiz.

Having all the inspiration and courage from our Great Victory, we will continue our struggle to bring Turkey to more prosperous and brighter future.

Büyük Zafer’den aldığımız ilham ve cesaretle, Türkiye’yi daha aydınlık, daha müreffeh bir geleceğe taşımak için mücadelemizi sürdüreceğiz.

Just as we managed 97 years ago, we will crown our blessed struggle with victory with the support and prayers of our friends and brothers who trust in our country and with the resilience of our mighty nation.

Ülkemize güvenen dostlarımızın desteği, aziz milletimizin dirayeti, bize inanan kardeşlerimizin duasıyla, tıpkı 97 sene önce olduğu gibi, inşallah kutlu mücadelemizi zaferle taçlandıracağız.

I wish Allah’s mercy upon our martyrs and veterans once again and convey my greetings to all our brothers living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Bu temennilerle bir kez daha şehitlerimize ve gazilerimize Allah’tan rahmet diliyor, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti’ndeki tüm kardeşlerimize selamlarımı gönderiyorum.

Happy August 30th Victory Day!*

Milletimizin 30 Ağustos Zafer Bayramı kutlu olsun.*”

Let me now add few points on behalf of the Embassy and my thoughts.

The motto adopted by the Commander of Chief of this epic victory, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”. In fact, Gazi Mustafa Kemal built the modern Republic of Turkey on the sacrifices of its people and knew more than anyone the cost of the destruction of the Great War.

As he become the first President of the Republic, his priority was to make sure no such tragedy occurred again. In fact, Turkey has never entered a war since then. At the same time, we did not choose a policy of isolation, which is impossible at the region we live in.

As Colonel Yaşar mentioned, we joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 1952. Since then, we contributed troops to many peacekeeping operations including but not limited to Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.

Our role as diplomats is to resolve disputes through dialogue and maintain peace. Yet, this is not possible without the backing of strong and devoted Armed Forces.

Here in Kampala, I have observed many similarities between Turkey and Uganda. Like Turkey, Uganda is an island of peace and stability in a very volatile and dangerous region.

The professionalism and dedication of Ugandan Armed Forces and His Excellency President Museveni make this country a safe and peaceful nation. We also note with appreciation the contributions of Ugandan Armed Forces to peacekeeping missions, in particular in Somalia.

We are grateful to you, dear guests from the Armed Forces, for keeping this country safe and for joining us today in our celebration.

Thank you.