Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends of art,

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to this special evening here at the Yunus Emre Institute. I would like to thank the Olten Family, Director of the Institute, Mr. Adil Akaltun and the Institute personnel for making this evening possible.

The significance of this evening is two-fold.

First of all, we are gradually starting the programme of events commemorating the centennial of the Friendship Agreement between the Republic of Türkiye and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed in 1924 after Turkish people fought for and regained their independence led by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms. This was a very important agreement since it was one of the first of its kind that the newly established Turkish Republic signed with a foreign country.

However, the relations between our countries go all the way back to the mid-16^thcentury, when the first trade and diplomatic contact was established between King Oranje at the time and the Ottoman Empire.

The following centuries saw increasing contacts and developing relations. Today, as we are celebrating 100 years of our contemporary friendship, Türkiye and the Netherlands, two staunch NATO Allies, not only share strong political, economic and trade bonds, but also are closely connected in the fields of culture, tourism, education and arts.

At this point, I need to say that it was a true privilege for us to host more than 1.2 million of our Dutch friends in Türkiye last year. This is a very important threshold, when you think about the post-Covid recovery period and the devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023.

The second significance of this evening rests on the special character of the ensemble that the Yunus Emre Institute is hosting here tonight. The string quartet here with us are members of the Olten Philharmonic Orchestra. In itself, the creation of the orchestra in 2013 was a very special initiative, when a classical music-loving family from İzmir decided to set up their own philharmonic orchestra, with a mission to provide job opportunities for young artists and to offer a platform for their self-expression.

I do not want to take up more time with details. But it suffices to say that it is quite fitting to start the centennial anniversary program with this concert of young talents. Because they symbolize the bright future of youth today.

Actually, one hundred years is not a long time in the history of nations. Some even say it is a drop in the ocean. That is why, the Turkish-Dutch friendship is still young, while embodying the strength of centuries and a prosperous outlook for the future. It will from here to eternity.

Thank you for being here with us this evening and I hope you will enjoy the concert.