Major General Fan Zunsheng,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Military Attachés,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank you all for being with us this
evening.

We are happy to share our joy and pride, as we celebrate 30 August, the Victory and
Turkish Armed Forces Day.

Let me start by explaining the significance of the 30 August Victory Day.

30 August 1922 constitutes the final phase of the War of Independence.

On that day, the Turkish Army decisively defeated the enemy forces that occupied
our homeland.

It spiked the great powers’ guns, and liberated the motherland.

30 August is the day that paved
the way for the Turkish nation to a
new future.

And this victory was ultimately crowned by the declaration of the Republic
of Türkiye a year later, in October 1923.

Allow me to pay my deepest tributes to Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk, the Commander-in-Chief and the founder of the Republic, to his
comrades-in-arms, and to all our martyrs and war veterans, who made this day a Victory Day.

May they rest in peace.

Distinguished
Guests,

Today, more than a century later,
the Turkish Army are still and like never before the shining star of our Republic.

Thanks to its human power, high
combat-readiness, vast experience, technological edge and ability to adapt, the
Turkish Armed Forces are our national pride.

They are also sources of trust for our friends and allies; and fear for our adversaries.

Their success goes hand in hand
with the strength of our defense
industry.

The revolution of the Turkish
defense industry in the last decades enabled the rapid modernization of our armed forces.

The indigenous Turkish defense products have proven themselves in
various battlefields around the world.

They are attracting more and more international attention.

The 16th International Defense
Industry Fair (IDEF), held last July in Istanbul, broke a record in terms of the number of participating delegations
and signed documents.

I can gladly note that more than 100 Chinese firms attended the Fair.

They grasped new business opportunities in Türkiye’s growing defense
production and export industry.

Dear Guests,

We
continue to be guided by the motto of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

“Peace at Home, Peace in the World”

The
modern Turkish Republic founded after the Victory Day has always been a peaceful, responsible and a constructive
member of the international community.

My country
has suffered a lot from the wars and
conflicts.

This
is why we highly appreciate the value of
peace and stability.

Turkish
Army makes valuable contributions to establish and maintain peace and stability in its region and beyond.

Colonel Konaroğlujust
shared with you the details in this regard.

At
the same time, we continue to effectively combat terrorism.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before
concluding, I once again thank you for being with us at this special and proud day for Türkiye and the Turkish nation.

I wish
you a pleasant evening.

Thank you!