Distinguished officials of Shaanxi Province and Xi'an City,

Distinguished
Executives and Members of Xi’an International Trade and Logistics Park
Authority and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) of
Shaanxi,

Representatives
of the Business Community,

Dear
Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in
Beijing, I feel honored to address you today at this ceremony to celebrate the arrival of the first east-bound export
train from Turkey to China.

The train, which recently arrived to Xi’an from Çerkezköy near Istanbul in just over two weeks,
followed the Trans Caspian East-West
Middle Corridor by passing through two continents, two seas,five countries
and covering almost 8,700 kilometers.

The second east-bound train has also departed a few
days ago and is expected to reach here after the New Year.

It will not be wrong to state that his joyous occasion
marks the revival of the historical ties
between Turkey and China.

Xi’an, as the eastern end to the Silk Road and former
capital of China, was once the meeting and
melting point of ancient Turks and Chinese,
as well as of many others, for
social and commercial interactions.

Our ancestors were well aware of the importance of safe and stable transport routes for enhancing
economic activities. That is why they
created a Road that enabled the transportation
of goods between Asia and Europe.

Today, after many centuries, we again follow their path. We are building a modern Silk Road, with the opportunities provided by
technology and modernization.

Indeed, the launch
of the direct flights between Xi’an and Istanbul in December 2019 was also very
beneficial for this connectivity. We
hope that these flights soon resume as
the pandemic comes to an end.

At this point, I would like to once again convey my
special thanks to His Excellency Hu
Heping, Minister of Culture and Tourism and former Governor and Party Secretary
of Shaanxi Province, for his
continuous support.

Mr. Hu has played an indispensable role in the
launch of Istanbul-Xi’an flights and in the realization of the freight train
project. He also immensely contributed to various dimensions of
Turkish-Chinese relations.

We have no doubt that we will maintain the same level of fruitful cooperation with his successors,
His Excellency Mr. Liu Guozhong and His Excellency Mr. Zhao Yide.

Dear Guests,

The railway connection between China and Europe became even more vital in the pandemic
era as freight trains play a crucial
role in stabilizing the international logistics supply chain.

Turkey’s
strategic location at
the intersection of the European, Middle Eastern and African markets has a
crucial role in strengthening business
resilience. It provides safe, stable
and fast supply chains.

In this backdrop, Turkey
is rapidly improving her connectivity with the rest of world; not only by economic means such as her almost
quarter-century-old Customs Union with
the EU but also by developing her
transportation infrastructure:

-We have already become
the 8th High Speed Railway (HSR)
operating country in the world.

-We are constructing Edirne-Kars High Speed Train Network
covering Turkey from west to east. It will enable faster and cheaper
transport from China and Central Asia to
Europe.

-Istanbul New Airport, Yavuz Sultan Selim, Osman Gazi, 1915 Çanakkale
Bridges, Eurasia Tunnel and Marmaray, highways, maritime ports, logistics hubs
are also vital pillars of this growing hybrid transportation network of Turkey.

And some of these recent mega-construction projects in
Turkey are materialized with Chinese partnership,
and more are being planned.

Distinguished Participants,

Turkey has been one of the earliest supporters of the Belt and Road Initiative. Our Middle Corridor Initiative has a natural complementarity with the BRI.

Therefore, Turkey and China have common views and interests for deepening regional economic
cooperation on the vast Eurasian landmass via
transport corridors.

Further use of the railway connection between Turkey
and China will accelerate economic
activities across Eurasia:

It will also be beneficial
for our bilateral economic relations as Turkish and Chinese products will be more easily delivered
through these freight trains.

Highly
qualified Turkish brands and products, which are well sought-after in many parts of the
world, will become more available in the Chinese market.

A shining example is our agricultural products, of
which Turkey is leading the global production in many sub-items: Last year, our agricultural exports to China increased
by 62.5%.

Our bilateral trade volume has almost reached to 22 billion USD last year, from just 1 billion USD 20 years ago. China has thus become Turkey’s third
biggest trade partner.

While this may seem a noteworthy progress, it is
not sufficient considering our enormous potential.

We are therefore committed to deepen and enhance our strategic cooperation in 2021, which marks
the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of our diplomatic
relations.

The joint
visions and determination of President
Erdoğan and President Xi clearly guide
us in this direction.

While concluding my remarks, I would like to extend my
heartfelt congratulations to the organizers of this ceremony and also to everyone who made this train journey, “once a distant
dream”, possible.