Symposium Held on the 600th Anniversary of Turkish-Polish Relations

05.03.2014
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Symposium Held on the 600th Anniversary of Turkish-Polish Relations

 

President Gül and President Komorowski attended the Symposium on the 600th Anniversary of Turkish-Polish Relations. Pointing to the historical and cultural interaction between Turkey and Poland during his address at the symposium, President Gül reiterated that “all the necessary conditions are in place so that the historical depth of our relations, which were raised to the level of strategic partnership in 2009, can be carried to higher levels.” 

President Abdullah Gül and President Bronislaw Komorowski, who is paying a state visit to Turkey, participated in the Symposium on the 600th Anniversary of Turkish-Polish Relations which was organized by the Turkish Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information. 

STRONG TURKISH-POLISH RELATIONS 

The fact that bilateral relations between the two countries have been continuing for 600 years since the times of the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Lech demonstrates how robust the ties between Turkey and Poland are, noted President Gül, saying: “I’m happy at observing that with Your Excellency’s participation, a great celebration program that befits the historical depth of our relations has been prepared. We are officially launching the celebrations of the 600th anniversary with my dear friend President Komorowski. I hope that the activities to be held as part of these celebrations will help toward better understanding our centuries-long friendship. We are also happy that the civil societies and the peoples of the two countries are participating in these activities. One must remember that the Turkish-Polish friendship has enjoyed ties from people to people and from heart to heart as well. This is why the two countries have enjoyed intense interactions in many areas ranging from culture to arts and from politics to the military. I would like to mention some of our common heroes. Our Polish friends - known to us as Ali Ufki Bey, Murat Paşa, Mehmet Sadık Paşa and Mustafa Celaleddin Paşa - whose real names are respectively Bobowski, Jozef Bem, Tchaikovski and Borzecki, are treasures of our common culture. Thanks to their contributions, our fellowship, solidarity and cooperation are still alive today. We are grateful to these people.” 

“OUR DESTINIES ARE SIMILAR IN MANY RESPECTS” 

Referring to what Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı said: “the 19th century was the longest century for the Ottoman Empire,” the President noted that this is true for the Polish people as well who fought for their independence with great perseverance. In this respect, he said, there are similarities between the destinies of the two peoples. 

“This is why the Polish national hero Czartoriski and national poet Mikiyevic made Turkey their second homeland in the 19th century. The attempts that tried to divide and eradicate Poland from the surface of history and that despised the will of this resolute people were never recognized by the Turks. It is a nice twist of fate that Turkey and Poland proclaimed the establishment of their current states within five years of each other. At this point, I would like to note with gratitude and appreciation that Poland recognized Turkey before the Lausanne Agreement was signed and that these two young states immediately appointed diplomatic representatives mutually.” 

MUTUAL SUPPORT TURKEY AND POLAND PROVIDE FOR EACH OTHER 

President Gül further suggested that one should look at history from a perspective of continuity and the course of events. Then he said the reason why the Turkish people stood by Poland’s integration once again with the European-Atlantic institutions during the last transformation wave in Europe can be better understood. “This transformation occuring in the early 1990s brought together Turkey and Poland, two old friends, under the roof of the European family once again, of which they are inseparable members. We are together defending such common principles as democracy, the rule of law and free market economy under this broad roof today. We consider our partnership within the framework of the European principles and values to be very valuable to the peace and stability in our regions as well as in the whole world. We further believe that our fellowship based on a deep-rooted history will gain additional dimensions through these values.” In this vein, the President said, Turkey supports Poland’s membership in NATO and Poland stands by Turkey in its membership process toward the EU. 

The President also shared his happiness that Turkey and Poland enjoy a close cooperation in NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe and in many other platforms pertaining to the Visegrad Group. He then expressed that both Turkey and Poland are among the European countries that have been the least affected by the global financial crisis. All the necessary conditions are in place so that the historical depth of our relations, which were raised to the level of strategic partnership in 2009, can be carried to higher levels, added the President, pointing out that both countries wish to double soon the existing volume of trade which is worth 5 billion dollars. 

President Gül ended his speech by noting that the celebration activities that will be held mutually in many areas ranging from politics, culture and arts to the economy and the media will help the two peoples to get to know one another better and will serve as an opportunity in terms of the consolidation of the interaction between them.

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