Dames en heren,

Dear Friends,

As wegathered here on this sad occasion to say farewell to the late Emeritus Dr.Alexander Hendrik de Groot, I first would like to thank to his family forinviting me to address this distinguished audience. It is an honour to be here.

On behalf of the Turkish people and on my own, I would like pay my respects to the distinguished scholar and researcher, whose name has become synonymous with Ottoman-Dutch history and Turkish-Dutch interaction throughout centuries.

I arrived to Den Haag on 1 February 2023. Immediately aftermath, I asked to meet Dr. De Groot. Unfortunately, due to his illness, I did not have the privilege to meet him in person. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to read his books and academic work such as “The Ottoman Empire and the Dutch Republic”.

As he had evidenced in that masterpiece in detail, Ottomans and the Dutch were actually in contact with each other since the mid-16th century – even in 1561. Indeed our relations go further back than 1612, when the first Dutch resident Ambassador Cornelius Haga arrived in Istanbul.

This rich relation culminated in signature of the Turkish-Dutch Friendship Treaty in 1924 between the newly established Turkish Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Before coming to Den Haag, I also found one of his articles in a Turkish antique shop about the background of Turkish-Dutch interaction during the Turkish Independence Movement led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Needless to say, we are also acquainted with the Testa Family thanks to his work. It is another important and the only living name with great significance in the Ottoman-Dutch history. Members of the Testa Family, tradesmen, interpreters, mediators and diplomats have lived in Istanbul for more than six centuries, starting well before the conquest of Istanbul and going all the way to Gaspar Testa, the last member of the family to live in the Ottoman Empire as the Dutch Ambassador. It is another privilege to say that the Turkish Embassy is still in close contact with remaining descendants of the Testa Family who spoke before me.

Prof. Groot’s tireless efforts have been instrumental in disseminating a long and rich history of almost 500 years. We will continue to read and remember this history of friendship thanks to the deep knowledge and extensive work of him.

While concluding, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Alexander Hendrik de Groot’s on this meaningful day of Ramadan Feast.

He was a true friend of Türkiye and the Turkish people. We never forget our friends. And we never leave our friends behind. One of those good friends, “the Turk of Den Haag” has saddled his horse and is now travelling to meet his beloved Aliya Hanım who is also buried here in The Hague. May he rest in peace.

Ik wens de familie sterkte met dit grote verlies. Moge God hem zegenen. Rust in vrede.Bedankt.Dank u wel. (I wish the family strength with this great loss. May Allah bless him. Rest in peace. Thank you.)