Her Excellency Madame Ambassador Mr. Jillian Dempster,

Dear Colleagues,

Distinguished Guests,

We gathered on this early spring morning to remember our fallensoldiers and commemorate the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War on the occassion of its 103rd Anniversary.

It is indeed a great honour for me, as the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Geneva, to be a part of the Anzac Day commemoration ceremony, which marks the unique relationship between Turkey, New Zealand and Australia.

What happened in Gallipoli over a century ago, has been deeply engraved in our collective memory.The bravery and heroism of our ancestors havetranscended borders, nations as well as generations.

Over the course of the years, the unfortunate sacrifices of the war have been gradually transformed into a reciprocal bond of understanding and sharing between our nations. This is a rare outcome for any war in human history.

On this day of remembrance, I would like to recall once again the message sent to Anzac mothers by the founding father of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was then the commander of the 19th Division at Gallipoli Campaign.

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this land of ours…

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

May their souls rest in peace.