Dr. Tan Wu Meng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade and Industry

Excellency’s,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Guests, Değerli Vatandaslarımız,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this reception hosted on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Singapore on February 12, 1969. Thank you for being with us on this important day.

Also, I`d like to congratulate all our Singaporean friends on the 200^thanniversary of the founding of Singapore.

The ties between Turkey and Singapore go back over 150 years to the Ottoman Era and Turkey recognized the Republic of Singapore when it was founded in 1965. From that day onward our relations developed steadily. Today Turkey and Singapore are strategic partners that cooperate on a wide range of issues from security to education. We have recently put in place our bilateral Free Trade Agreement that will boost our trade relations and Singaporean companies are investing steadily in Turkey. While our two nations are far apart in terms of geography, we are likeminded and see each other as `gateway nations` in our respective regions.This allows us to enjoy excellent bilateral ties.

Yet, as we all know, at the end of the day, even ties between nations only flourish when individuals provide support. We have this support at the highest political levels of our two Nations and that is our main driving force.

Speaking of the role that the individual plays in international relations, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude tonight to some of our Singaporean guests here who have done so much to further bilateral ties.Alongside Senior Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Tan we have with us here tonight Permanent Secretary Albert Chua who did so much for our ties while at the MFA, Ambassador Salvarajah who has just returned from Ankara after a 4 year appointment asfirst resident Ambassador and Ambassador Chandra Das who too was instrumental in taking our relations further for many years. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Director General Wasvani at the MFA and my other colleagues there, Ms. Lee, Ms. Baqavi and Mr. Loke. It is through the hard work of these Singaporean friends and others like them that our ties have flourished. I apologize if I have missed a name or two amongst our guests tonight, the friends of Turkey in Singapore are many and sometimes my listing skills are overwhelmed.

Let me also take a moment to point out to you the photos behind you of all the Turkish Ambassadors who have served in Singapore since 1985 when we set up our Embassy here. Some are no longer with us, some have retired and some are still on active duty. All have contributed to our bilateral ties and I am grateful to them.You will also see behind you the photo of Ataullah Efendi, the first Ottoman Turkish Consul General in Singapore who served here from 1901 to 1903. Please feel free to take a copy of the book on his life and times in Singapore, prepared by my Predecessor Ambassador Taner Seben. I am sure that Ataullah Efendi would be proud if he could see this gathering here this evening.

Lastly allow me to express my thanks to the Turkish community in Singapore - some of its members are here this evening - for playing the vital role of the `human link` between Turkey and Singapore.

Dear Guests,

Today we are marking a special phase in the history of the ties between Turkey and Singapore. It is only auspicious that we are in the Chinese New Year as we do so and I believe that with our continued hard work and cooperation, our two Nations will always enjoy excellent relations.

Thank you once again for being with us and I wish you a pleasant evening.