A “PALESTINIAN GARDEN” IN TOPKAPI PARK

Ministry for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis attended the forestation ceremony of the Palestinian Garden created in Istanbul's Topkapi Culture Park in collaboration with the AK Party’s Foreign Affairs Department and Palestinian Solidarity Association (FİDDER) within the context of United Nations' International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Minister Bagis, while delivering a speech on the occasion, said that they would leave the mark of friendship and brotherhood on that special day.

Commemorating nine martyrs of Blue Marmara Ship and recommending participants to also visit “1453 History Museum” next to the park, Minister Bagis said “While visiting this museum, we are finding out two things: our religion is the religion of compassion and peace and our culture is the culture of tolerance and respect. The combination of these two leads to the birth of great epics, births of Mevlanas, Yunus Emres, Aksemseddins, Sultan Mehmeds and Sultan Selim the Grim, who established ties with Jerusalem. Such a culture and civilization does not have the chance to forget about Palestine today. The whole world may close its eyes and plug its ears and play three monkeys against Palestine but today, Turkey, with every citizen of it, stands by it.”

“Upon the instruction of our Prime Minister, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has doing its utmost in Palestine in every field of action such as health assistance, protection of cultural heritage, supply of potable water, construction of schools and offering scholarships” said Minister Bagis, stating that Turkey had always done its part for the Palestinian State since its foundation.

Minister Bagis also added that Turkey’s biggest investment in Palestine was the construction of the Turkish-Palestine Friendship Hospital in Gaza and Turkey had provided millions of euros of aid to Palestine in the last two years despite all obstacles.

“'One-minute' reaction of our Prime Minister in Davos has led to the breaking of a taboo throughout the world” said Bagis, emphasizing that Turkey had been touching the global untouchables any more.