President Gül Attends Banner Handover Ceremony

President Abdullah Gül handed the banner over to the Land Forces 5th Army Corps of Engineers Command.

President Gül, upon his arrival at the Martyr Colonel Suat Karlıdağ Military Post, was welcomed by the Regiment Commander of the 5th Army Corps of Engineers, Colonel Fikri Kayhan Akın with a ceremony. Afterwards, the President was welcomed by Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel; Land Forces Commander Gen. Hulusi Akar; First Army Commander Gen. Ahmet Turmuş and the 5th Army Corps Commander Gen. Tahir Bekiroğlu at the entrance of the headquarters.

During the ceremony, the history of the Regiment and the resumé of the Regiment Commander, were read aloud. Afterwards, President Gül said as follows: “Colonel Akın, I am here to hand the regiment banner, a sacred trust, over to you and the members of the Regiment. This banner is a sacred treasure which the august Turkish nation has entrusted to the honor of your regiment. It is the symbol of the dignity of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Army has protected and glorified its banner throughout its history in a way that has become a model for the whole of the world. It also boasts thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives without blinking for the sake of its banner. I am confident that you will not allow any spot on its pure, spotlessly clean and noble color. You will hand this banner to your successor the way it is honored and as spotlessly clean as it is now. As President of the Republic of Turkey, I am handing this sacred trust to you.”

The ceremony ended after the President signed the Book of Honor.

Attending the ceremony were Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel; Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu; Land Forces Commander Gen. Hulusi Akar; Chairman Prof. Dr. Gökhan Çetinsaya of the Board of Higher Education; Governor of Kırklareli Mustafa Yaman; and other military officials.

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