The Founder of the Turkish Republic and its First President stands as a towering figure of the 20th Century. His creation of modern Turkey, his remarkable contributions to the world peace and political order, his revolutionary ideas and brilliant leadership skills positioned Atatürk as a significant figure of enduring influence, who will continue to be profound inspiration to the world at large.
Taking this opportunity, I would like pay tribute to the Great Leader, by quoting his far-sighted ideas regarding the Turkic world, from his speech, delivered on 29 October 1933, at the celebration ceremony of the 10th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey;
"Today, the Soviet Union is our friend, our neighbor and our ally. We need this friendship; but no one can predict what will happen tomorrow; it can breakup just like the Ottomans and Austria-Hungary; the nations that it holds tightly in its hands today, can slip from its palms. The world may reach to a new equilibrium. At that time, Turkey must know what to do. Under the governance of this friend, we have our brothers whose language and essence are the same. We must be ready to support them. Being ready is not just waiting for that day; we need to be prepared. How do nations get prepared for this; by keeping the spiritual bridges firm and sound. Language is a bridge, faith is a bridge, and history is a bridge. We must go down to our roots and must unite around our common history, which is interrupted with incidents. We cannot expect them to approach us, we need to approach them."
On this very occasion dedicated to his memory, I, together with my colleagues at the Turkic Council, commemorate the Father of the Turkish nation, with our heartfelt respect and appreciation.
With these thoughts, I once again reiterate that, as the Turkic Council, we will continue to work devotedly, towards the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world, deriving our power from our Member States.
Baghdad Amreyev
Turkic Council Secretary General
