Turks in Rwanda celebrate 98th Republic Day

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - Dozens of Turkish citizens living in Rwanda on Friday joined their embassy in the capital Kigali to celebrate Turkey’s 98th Republic Day.

“Today we are proud to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. Away from just two years to the centenary, we are aware more than ever of our primary duty to protect and take our Republic further,’’ Ambassador Burcu Cevik told guests at the event.

On Oct. 29, 1923, Ataturk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country's status as a republic.

A vote then took place in Turkey’s parliament, the Grand National Assembly, and Ataturk was unanimously elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey.

Since then, Turkey has celebrated Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.

Cevik said she was happy to see an increasing number of Turkish nationals in the East African nation.

“Every year our community is expanding in number. This year we were 40,’’ she told Anadolu Agency in a virtual interview.

Most of the Turks in Rwanda are either businesspeople or representatives of the embassy, Turkish Airlines and the Yunus Emre Institute, which have presence in the country.

In her message, Cevik reminded Turks about the difficult conditions that the founding leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the Turkish nation faced.

“Under the visionary leadership of our founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish nation established a new state and political system based on the power of people despite extraordinary circumstances in the aftermath of World War I,’’ she said.

She said the Turkish nation never accepted defeat and dared to prove that nothing is impossible when it comes to independence.

“It was the determination, sacrifice, strong belief and hard work of our forefathers which enabled the modern Turkish Republic to flourish from ashes. The vision of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk still sheds light on our journey. We achieved a lot, yet there is a long way ahead of us. Now the duty is on us to carry this flag even further,’’ she said.

Turkey and Rwanda enjoy good bilateral relations. Turkish companies have invested about $400 million in Rwanda in the past decade, constituting roughly 13% of the country’s direct foreign investment. The total volume of bilateral trade in 2020 reached $81.4 million.