PHOTO GALLERY: Centenary of Republic of Türkiye celebrated in Budapest

The centenary of the Republic of Türkiye was celebrated with a reception organized by the Turkish Embassy in Budapest at the Museum of Fine Arts by the Heroes’ Square, Hősök Tere, one of the iconic landscapes of the city. The exterior of the Museum, where Hungary’s largest and most prestigious art collections are displayed, was illuminated with the colors of Turkish flag in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.

During the reception, students from the Maarif School in Budapest performed the Turkish and Hungarian national anthems. Renowned pianist Sabri Tuluğ Tırpan played a few chapters of his “1923” musical. Additionally, gifts of Turkish calligraphy were presented to the guests by Yıldırım Beyazıt Baylak, along with other souvenirs.

Approximately 700 people attended the reception, including high-ranking officials from various Hungarian ministries, members of the Parliament, mayors, representatives of the diplomatic community, business people, members of NGOs, military officers and Turkish citizens living in Hungary. His Excellency Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was the guest of honor.

Minister Szijjártó highlighted the worsening international security situation by touching upon the challenges that the international community was faced with. He emphasized that Türkiye is at the forefront in addressing all these challenges, mentioning the Grain Corridor initiative and Türkiye’s significant role in addressing irregular migration. He also highlighted Türkiye’s critical position in diversifying the energy routes that are of great importance to Hungary.

Within this context, he underscored that enhancing Turkish-Hungarian cooperation is one of the top priorities of Hungary’s foreign policy. He further underlined Türkiye’s significant contributions to security and stability not only in its own surroundings but also in all regions, stating that Turkish-Hungarian relations will be elevated to the level of “enhanced strategic partnership” during the forthcoming Turkish-Hungarian High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting in Budapest on December, the 18th.

He also mentioned that the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Hungary will be celebrated through various activities within the framework of the 2024 Türkiye-Hungary Cultural Year.

Turkish Ambassador, Her Excellency Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu, started her speech by greeting the guests in Hungarian. She expressed her pride in celebrating this specian occasion 100th in Hungary, a country that made significant contributions during the founding years of the Republic of Türkiye. She highlighted that Hungary was the first country that the young Republic of Türkiye signed a friendship treaty, emphasizing the special bonds that Hungary and Türkiye share historically.

She also mentioned that the memories of Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Rákóczi, and Imre Thököly, represented by statues in Heroes’ Square just outside the Museum, are cherished in Türkiye. She described Türkiye’s relationship with Hungary as ‘distant relatives, close neighbors, and eternal partners’ and emphasized the recent momentum in bilateral relations. She also stated Türkiye’s readiness to crown this momentum with the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting in December and the 2024 Türkiye-Hungary Cultural Year.