By Tuba Nur Sonmez

Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey

October 29 of each year is a day of joy and pride for Turkish citizens as we celebrate in Turkey and around the world the anniversary of our Republic, which was proclaimed in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The declaration of the Republic of Turkey marks, among other things, a triumphant foundation of a new nation-state with ambitious goals.

This year, however, we are more enthusiastic than ever before. On October 29, 2023, Turkey enters a historic milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. This centenary is a testament to our nation’s resilience, growth, and unwavering commitment to progress with an eye to the future.

I would like to thank our friends in Kuwait who did not leave us alone with their messages of celebration and shared our enthusiasm. However, it is very unfortunate that this momentous occasion coincided with a grievous one as we are heartbreakingly witnessing the immense suffering of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, where they have been subjected to destruction and persecution of all forms at the hands of the occupying Zionist army. I would like to once again reiterate Turkey’s support for the Palestinian cause, including ending the brutal occupation, and the establishment of a fully independent State of Palestine.

A tough yet successful journey

Since its formation in 1923, Turkey has undergone a process of massive transformation, starting under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of our Republic. Turkey has transitioned from a newly-born Republic into a strong multi-party democratic state with competing economy, admirable military strength and well-developed infrastructure. However, Turkey’s 100-year journey of progress was hardly a linear one. Along the way, there were challenges to overcome, struggles we have been through and the battles that had to be fought.

First of all, Turkey has been fighting multiple terror groups, at times simultaneously, to secure its citizens and to protect its territorial integrity and democracy. We have been effectively combating terrorists of all stripes, ranging from clandestine FETO to the ethnic separatist PKK terrorism, and the leftist DHKP-C to religiously motivated terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and DAESH. Through this epic struggle, we dealt a heavy blow to terrorist organizations and ruined their evil plans.

Not just that, our counter-terrorism efforts have proved to be vital for the security and stability of the whole region. As such, Turkey has been on the forefront of efforts to increase awareness of the international community on the threat of terrorism.

Secondly; our nascent democracy has been almost periodically the target of military coups. The most recent attempt occurred on the night of July 15, 2016, when a clandestine faction within the Turkish army under the direct order of Fetullah Gulen (terrorist mastermind), attempted to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkey. Thanks to the steadfast leadership of our President, and unwavering determination of our nations, the coup plotters could not reach their objective.

Alhamdulillah, none of these challenges were able to stop us from pursuing the path of development, welfare, democracy and peace. However, it is the last two decades of our Republic that witnessed all-out transformation and breakthrough in almost all realms of life.

The great leap towards the century of Turkey

Over the last 20 years, Turkey went through an era of “silent revolution”, whereby comprehensive democratic reforms addressed our people’s long-standing grievances, dramatically changing the political landscape for the good. Ambitious plans and innovations have been introduced in the areas such as education, health, infrastructure defense industry, and economy.

Since 2002, Turkish GDP has tripled with an annual growth rate of 5.4 percent. Major public infrastructure investments bridges, ports, railways along with increased production capacity and the leap in export fueled the Turkey’s decades-long surge in growth. Despite grim global financial conditions and global trade volume that dropped by 1.8 percent from the last year, our economy maintained its strong growth performance in the second quarter of 2023, as we tried to compensate for the economic effects of the twin powerful earthquakes that hit 11 provinces in southern Turkey on Feb 6, causing extensive damage and killing and injuring tens of thousands of people.

We have implemented a healthcare transformation program with a series of reforms and infrastructure investments - most notably city hospitals - that significantly improved our healthcare system and the quality of care our people receive. This transformation contributed to a drastic drop in infant and maternal mortality, along with supporting efforts to expand tertiary care and research and development efforts. In addition to that Turkey has boosted its hospital capacity significantly, making it even better than in many advanced economies as manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkey’s advancement in high-tech innovation has also been noteworthy. In 2022, Turkey rolled out the country’s first domestically-produced electric car, fulfilling a 60-year-old dream. In addition to that, Turkey has built a vigor defense sector over the last 20 years. In 2022 Turkey’s arms export hit a record of $4.4 billion which was almost $100 million in the 2000s. This revolution in defense industry enabled our country to move from being the world’s third-biggest receiver of weapons to the twelfth-biggest defense product exporter.

Certainly, the star of our defense industry has been unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or drones. We introduced first indigenous jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Bayraktar Kizilelma, whose serial set to begin in 2024. This year we concluded a landmark deal with Kuwait regarding purchase of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones which will be greatly contributing to military capabilities of the armed forces of Kuwait. All these past advancements provide us necessary inspiration to look confidently to the future and to achieve even more.

As Turkey embarks on this ambitious journey, it extends an open invitation to the global community to join hands in building a better future. The Century of Turkey is not just a vision for Turkey, but a promise to humanity — a promise of progress, prosperity, and peace. In celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, we celebrate a century of triumphs, and look forward with hope and determination to the next 100 years: The Century of Turkey.

I take this opportunity to wish health, happiness and long life to His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as the friendly people and Government of Kuwait.