It has been just a year since I started my duty as the Turkish Ambassador in London.

Our strategic partnership witnessed many positive developments in economy, tourism, culture, defence and security cooperation over the past year. There have been numerous high-level contacts.

Our trade volume reached 20 billion dollars. We announced the official start of negotiations for the update of the free trade agreement. We maintained close contacts with financial circles in London. UKEF contributed to the financing of an important railway project in Türkiye.

As one of the world's largest tourism destinations, Türkiye hosted around 4 million Britons last year. We had regular contacts with the relevant British authorities to offer the best hospitality to our guests.

Türkiye participated in the first global AI security summit at Bletchley Park. AI and digital transformation will continue to be an important pillar of our bilateral agenda.

The Yunus Emre Institute and our missions have organized numerous cultural events throughout the year.

We also had various contacts with universities and think tanks.

We took steps to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations.

Türkiye was re-elected to the Council membership of the International Maritime Organization, headquartered in London, receiving the second-highest number of votes.

The vibrant Turkish community, including the Turkish Cypriots, continues to make significant contributions to British society and strengthens our bilateral relations.

About 67,000 of our citizens in Britain voted in last year’s Turkish general elections.

Last year, we proudly celebrated the centenary of our Republic. I extend my appreciation to all our British friends who joined our joy.

Similarly, I express my gratitude for the solidarity shown by the Royal Family, Government, and all of British society following the twin earthquakes in my country.

I take this opportunity to wish strength to the Royal Family during their difficult times.

I thank all British institutions, especially the FCDO for their support.

From Palestine to Ukraine, our world is increasingly becoming unstable. In today’s turbulent global setting, we will continue to work together.