Director of the National Archives, Ms. Afelonne Doek,

Director of the Avrasya Foundation Holland, Ms. Fatma Aktaş,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great pleasure for me to attend the inauguration of the exhibition titled “Allı Turnam”, which is organized by the Avrasya Foundation Holland, here at the National Archives.

At the outset, I would like to thank the National Archives for hosting this meaningful event.

The significance of this exhibition is two-fold: First of all, it is organized within the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Turkish-Dutch Labor Agreement on 19 August 1964 which brought the Turkish guest workers to the Netherlands.

Through this agreement, Turkish workers filled the very tight Dutch labor market and by working in various fields, including most difficult and dangerous ones, made vital contributions to the post-Second World War development of Dutch industry.
When we look at the modern welfare state that the Netherlands is today, one cannot underestimate the important role that Turkish workers played in the decades following 1964.

With a series of commemorative events throughout this year, we are honoring those first Turkish workers, who initially came to this country as guest workers, but afterwards chose to make the Netherlands their home. We have a saying in
Turkish: “Your home is not you were bred but where your bread is”.

As such, in the course of years following their arrival they brought their families andtoday their first, second and third generations make up the Turkish-Dutch community of nearly half a million. Today, the Turkish Dutch community are equal citizens of the Netherlands and are hard-working and active individuals in their communities. 60 years ago they came as foreign workers with only mere belongings in their luggage. Today, they became employers. Today we see them active in all walks of life such as politics, trade, industry, education, culture and sports. This is, to say the least, something for all of us to be proud of.

Distinguished guests,

The second significance of this event is about its content. A part of the Turkish workers who came to the Netherlands were women. Initially employed in traditionally female-dominated sectors, in the course of time they took their rightful places in factories, shipyards and production lines. Turkish women who were employed as workers tirelessly paid efforts in winning their bread, while at the same time, as homemakers, became pillars of their families.

This exhibition is all about those Turkish women, who, side-by-side with Dutch and Turkish men and women, transformed not only their lives, but also their new country. I would like to pay tribute to all those hard-working women.

The theme of the exhibition also symbolizes them quite fittingly. “Allı turna” is the Turkish word for the flamingo bird, which is found extensively in Anatolia.
In fact, the vital breeding grounds of these picturesque animals in the marshlands, riverbeds and lakes of Anatolia are among the foremost breeding areas in the Mediterranean basin. But flamingo is also a migratory bird, and through this exhibition, symbolizes the courageous Turkish women leaving their homes behind and coming here and establishing new lives. Members of the successive generations are here today among us.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year is not only important in Turkish-Dutch relations because of the anniversary of the Labor Agreement. This year we are also observing another very important anniversary, that being the 100 years of the Turkish-Dutch Friendship Treaty signed on 16 August 1924.

Not all of you may know that the Kingdom of the Netherlands was one of the first countries to formally recognize the Republic of Türkiye following its establishment in 1923 after the the Independence War. The strong historical bonds between the Turkish and Dutch peoples throughout centuries was a factor behind the fact that the Friendship Treaty was one of the first that the newly established Turkish Republic signed. Last year, on 29 October 2023, we lived the great pride to celebrate the centennial of the Republic of Türkiye. And this year, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Turkish-Dutch contemporary friendship.

I say contemporary, because the Turkish-Dutch friendship go way back to the mid-16th century, when the Dutch tradesmen frequented Ottoman ports in the East Mediterranean and when Ottomans decided to support the Dutch Republic in their struggle for independence. The two nations have never fought each other and have never been on opposing sides in any circumstances - of course including their staunch Alliance within NATO.

Distinguished guests, dear friends,

An important aspect of a historical relationship such as the one we share with the Netherlands is the extensive records, which provide historians, academicians, students and everyone interested in their past, an opportunity to dwell upon the richness of the Turkish-Dutch history. And when we talk about records, documents, maps and photographs of historical connections, the importance of archives comes to the first forefront.

Further promoting cooperation between the Turkish and Dutch national archives was one of my priorities as Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye since my arrival. I am pleased to announce that we have made concrete progress thanks to the Director of the National Archives, Mrs. Afelonne Doek, for the Memorandum of Understanding to further improve cooperation in the field of archives as well. I am happy to
say that we will hopefully realize a signing ceremony in this very symbolic year.

While concluding, I would like to reiterate my gratitude to Director Doek and everyone at the National Archives herein The Hague not only for hosting this exhibition, but also all their support for my official and personal questions since we first met. I also thank the Avrasya Foundation Holland and its Director Ms. Aktaş for this exhibition where we have the chance to pay tribute to the Turkish women laborers and their recorded history of success.

Thank you.