The Honorable Secretary General Mr. Li Xinjun

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a distinct pleasure for me to
address this distinguished gathering, as one of the ambassadors of the founding
members of APSCO.

I would like to offer my best
wishes for the New Year Reception organized by APSCO and my sincere
appreciation to everyone whose steady support has made this organization immensely
successful in a short span of time.

APSCO, since its inception, is dedicated
to propelling multilateral cooperation at regional level in space-related
affairs, has been deepening ties between its member states and producing
fruitful results that could have not been obtained by individual efforts.

We are confident that APSCO will
continue to fulfill this important task not only for the benefit of its members
but the humanity as a whole.

Turkish-Chinese bilateral cooperation
have gained considerable momentum in recent years in many areas. Under this
scope, we also attach significance to our cooperation in space-related affairs.
Thanks to the valuable APSCO platform of cooperation, Turkey and China deepen
their cooperation in that field. By implementing joint projects within APSCO
the two countries as well as other members steadily strengthen ties between
them.

Distinguished
Guests,

For the last decades, our common
homeland, Asia, has been the fastest growing economic and political region
around the globe. This vast geography witnessed impressive progress in science and
space technology as well.

The world continues transforming in
front of us. The space science and the sector is undergoing massive changes
worldwide. While a new reality emerges, we have no excuse for being in
complacency and staying idly immobile.

By considering future security and
prosperity of our nations, weshould adapt and properly react to this historic
transformation. In this critical juncture, APSCO successfully meets the need of
an effective regional platform to enhance cooperation in the field of space and
technology.

In line with this global transition,
Turkey, this year, launched its “Asia Anew” initiative, which will aim to
further our existing partnerships and cooperation in Asia, including APSCO.

In accordance with the “Asia Anew”
initiative, Turkey, as the biggest donor of APSCO in proportion to its economic
size, will continue to be a staunch supporter of APSCO.

I should reiterate that Turkey is willing
and ready to expand its support to APSCO by assigning competent personnel and
experts in order to strengthen the executive team of this important
organization of ours.

At the national level, Turkey’s
progress in space technology has been remarkable recently, particularly on
satellite technologies at system and subsystem levels with Electro-Optical
Satellite Camera, Communication System, Star Tracker, Sun Sensor, Hall Effect
Thruster System, Reaction Wheel, Payload Data Storage, Compression and
Formatting Unit, and Next Generation On-board Computer.

The Turkish Space Agency has been established a year
ago to further advance our decades-long efforts in the field of space. The new
Agency has a mandate to organize, coordinate, and manage all Turkish space
activities, to help establish a national space industrial base and research and
development ecosystem with the purpose of establishing Turkey as an important
space contributor.

The remit of the Agency includes the development of
satellite technologies and associated infrastructure, a national launch
capability, as well as to encourage young people to enter the space sector as a
career, and create the necessary conditions to create a commercial space
industry in Turkey.

In this respect, we believe that
the Turkish Space Agency and APSCO could work together and conduct common
projects regarding space technology and the peaceful use of space in the near
future.

Distinguished Guests,

Having this opportunity, I would
like to emphasize my deepest appreciation to the member states, in particular
to the Chinese government as the host country, for their valuable support to
APSCO.

Wishing you a prosperous,
successful and joyous New Year.