SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING CREDENTIALS FROM MR. HASAN GOGUS,
AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21, 2002
Excellency,
I
have immense pleasure in receiving the Letter of Credence by which the
President of the Republic of Turkey has appointed you as Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of India.
I also accept the Letter of Recall of your predecessor Ambassador Yusuf
Buluc.
I
would like to congratulate you on your appointment and warmly welcome
you and your family to India. I am certain that you would have very fond
memories of your previous stay in India in your earlier assignment
I
have very happy and pleasant recollections of my stay in Turkey as Ambassador
of India and also my visit to Turkey in 1998. In 2000 we also had the
pleasure of hosting Prime Minister His Excellency Mr. Bulent Ecevit who
is seen as a friend of India.
We
have deep admiration for the vision and foresight of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of modern Turkey and also an inspiration to people all over
the world. In the recent period, we have also rejoiced in Turkey’s successes
in different spheres, including economic development. We are also confident
that the friendly and talented people of Turkey have a bright future ahead
of them.
Relations
between our two countries are rooted deep into history. There is goodwill
in our respective countries for each other. We have a common commitment
and respect for the ideals of secularism and democracy. India and Turkey
have a common stake in uniting efforts to combat the evil of terrorism
which seeks to destabilize democratic and tolerant societies in the world.
We
appreciate the forthright condemnation of terrorism by the leadership
of Turkey. It is our hope that Pakistan would take steps to curb the terrorist
groups so that terrorism in the State of Jammu and Kashmir is eliminated
altogether.
While
we are satisfied with the progress in our bilateral cooperation in the
recent period, we are also aware that there is scope for more. We must
realise the true potential of our ties including in the area of economic
cooperation. I am certain that you will contribute significantly to the
development of our bilateral ties.
Excellency,
let me take this opportunity to wish you a very happy and productive tenure
in India. Through you, I would like to convey my best wishes to His Excellency
Mr. Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President of the Republic of Turkey and also wish
the friendly people of Turkey peace and prosperity.
Thank you
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