SPEECH DELIVERED BY H.E. MR. ALİ KEMAL AYDIN ON THE OCCASION OF THE VICTORY DAY

(29 August 2013)

Honorable Deputy Prime Minister,

Dear Ministers of Defense, Transportations and Sport and Youth,

Dear Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,

Former Chief of the General Staff and Commanders of the Libyan Army,

Distinguished Political Party Leaders,

Distinguished Members of the Parliament,

Honorable Military Attachés,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank you all for being with us here tonight to share our joy and pride as we celebrate our Victory Day.

This year the 30^th of August marks the 91^st anniversary of the final battle that the heroic Turkish army won against the invading enemy forces in our War of Independence led by the commander-in-chief Mustafa Kemal.

This glorious victory paved the way for the foundation of our modern state one year later. With the new Republic declared in 1923, the Turkish nation, under the presidency of its great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, started to build a modern, prosperous and strong state and society.

As the heirs of this brave, devoted and self-sacrificing founding generation, we will continue this struggle until we will realize the aspirations of our people and have our rightful place among the family of democratic, developed and modern nations.

With these thoughts in mind, today we remember once again with deep gratitude, our leader Atatürk, his brothers in arms, all heroes and martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and homeland.

We are bowing our heads in their memory.

May God bless their souls and may they rest in peace.

Dear Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Taking this opportunity, I would also like to pay tribute to the brave martyrs of the Libyan revolution who sacrificed their precious lives for dignity, justice, freedom and democracy. With their great and successful revolution, our Libyan brothers and sisters have already achieved many of their aspirations that they have been denied and prevented for more than four decades.

Turkey has always sided with the Libyan people and will continue to stand by them as they make progress on the path of building a new and modern state based on the universal principles and values.

Being aware of the urgency and importance of security and stability for the success of the transition to democracy, Turkey is committed to continue its strong support for the establishment of the national army and the police force in Libya through providing training and equipment as well as sharing its experience and best practices.

Thank you.