An old rock solid friendship

An old rock solid friendship

Inspired by the past, India and Turkey must walk together towards the future.
My visit to India is taking place at a critical time when tremors (कंपन / स्पंदन) , changes and new quests (तलाश) on global scale are intensifying. The Middle East and South Asia are coming to the forefront as the new centres of gravity of this new era. Due to their geographical positions, economies and regional roles, India and Turkey are among the countries that feel repercussions (प्रतिक्रिया) of this transformation the most.
We attach great importance to advancing our bilateral relations with India, which we regard as an emerging value, on the basis of mutual respect and win-win principle. I believe that my visit to India, at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee, will give a distinctive impetus (प्रोत्साहन) to our relations and cooperation.
Turkey is pursuing a multi-dimensional and proactive (सक्रिय) foreign policy towards generating peace and stability in its region and beyond. Developing our relations with our neighbours and the countries in the region, opening to new geographies, deepening our strategic relations, playing an active role in international organisations are the basis of our entrepreneurial and humanitarian foreign policy. Turkey, with the highest official humanitarian assistance level compared to its GDP, embraces 3 million Syrians and Iraqis who had to flee from ongoing violence in their countries. The amount we have spent from our own budget for them is over $25 billion according to the UN standards. Turkey has assumed great responsibility on behalf of the international community while many developed countries of the world have closed their borders and are looking for security behind wire fences and high walls. In addition to our humanitarian efforts, we also strive (प्रयास करना) to solve the Syrian issue in line with the legitimate aspirations of its people. The process we conduct together with Russia and Iran in Astana, in order to find a solution to the crisis, is the most concrete example of our efforts.
Reflections of our responsible, enterprising and human oriented stance are not only limited to our neighbours. We take initiatives and exert (परिश्रम करना) effort to the restoration and protection of stability in many parts of the world. The efforts we displayed to overcome the problems Afghanistan faces are also among them. “Heart of Asia ¬ Istanbul Process” which we initiated in 2011 with the participation of the regional countries, including India, constitutes another valuable step towards peace and stability.
Turkey owes its stance which is appreciated by most of the countries, to its accumulation of civilization, to the values promoted in its foreign policy and to the means and capabilities of its economy. Turkey is a member of G-20, just like India. In 2013, Turkey became a member of the “Asia Cooperation Dialogue”, of which India is a founding member. We are also in collaboration with India within the scope of “Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia”. All these regional and international platforms where we work shoulder to shoulder with India, pave the way for us to promote cooperation between our countries. Yet, I believe that the most solid basis in this regard is the advancement of the long-time friendship between peoples of Turkey and India. We remember with gratitude the treatment of our soldiers wounded during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 by the All Indian Medical Mission under the direction of the grand-uncle of Vice President Hamid Ansari. We have never forgotten and will never forget the flow of aid (अनुदान / सहायता) to Turkey from India during our War of Liberation.
The inspiring effect of our success in the war for all Indian people, the jubilation (खुशी / जश्‍न) among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and all segments of this beautiful country for our victory, are outstanding examples from our shared history which give us strength. As a sign of this solid friendship, Turkey was one of the first countries to recognise India immediately after its declaration of Independence. It is also narrated that the Constitution of India was drafted at Babasaheb Ambedkar's house, which became the property of the Turkish Embassy in late 1950s.
Today, our duty is to deepen our bilateral relations through the strength of the past and to contribute to the drafting of new stories of friendship. I have gladly observed in various international events during which I met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that common political will exists to improve the relations in every field between the two countries. I believe that we will take tangible and rapid steps, in light of this strong political will, in the upcoming period. I and Prime Minister Modi agreed upon focusing on the relations in the fields of economy, trade and technology. Despite the progress in recent years, there is still a long way to go in these fields. Current bilateral trade volume is far away from reflecting the real potential of our countries. We need to further encourage our companies to increase their investments and eliminate the obstacles before them.
Turkey would like to benefit from the experiences of Indian companies particularly in the fields of energy and information technologies. We are ready to take part in reaching the targets set by Prime Minister Modi in projects such as “100 Smart Cities” and “Make in India”. Per the wise words of the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, whose name was given to one of the most important streets of our capital city: “One should not despair for missing the sunlight, lest he strives toward the stars”. Hence, I wish that the private sectors of both countries act with this in mind and focus on opportunities rather than difficulties.
Relations between our peoples improve quickly through Bollywood TV series broadcast on Turkish television channels and Turkish TV series broadcast in India. In the last two years we have hosted two lakh Indian guests in Turkey. The number of Indian couples holding their wedding ceremonies in Turkey increases every year. Both our countries are home to numerous World Cultural Heritage sites. We will be pleased to contribute also to tourism of India and to the vision of Prime Minister Modi of making tourism one of the five key pillars of the Indian economy.
I believe that a broad vision to guide the exemplary (उत्‍कृष्‍ट / अनुकरणीय) relations between our countries will emerge through the increase of contacts and interaction between our peoples. I wish that our bilateral relations and global cooperation will further strengthen with my historical visit. I also would like to extend my wholehearted greetings and respects to the Indian people.