Dr. Akkan Suver, the President of the Marmara Group Foundation, delivered a speech at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum organized by Xi Jinping, the President of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing.

In his speech, Dr. Akkan Suver highlighted the significant importance Türkiye attaches to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Dr. Akkan Suver's speech also received notable coverage in the Chinese media.

You can find the full text of the speech at the end of the article.

Dr. Akkan Suver, who took the floor in the afternoon session of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum, emphasized Türkiye's high regard for this initiative. He also highlighted that Türkiye, located at the intersection of Asia, Europe, and Africa, is a significant player in this endeavor.

Dr. Akkan Suver was accompanied at the Forum by the Turkish Ambassador to China, Ismail Hakkı Musa, and the former Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.

Speech of Dr. Akkan Suver

President of the Marmara Group Foundation

            On behalf of the Marmara Group Foundation, I respectfully greet your High Delegation from Istanbul.

            I would like to start by thanking our host, the Belt and Road Research Network family.

            The Belt and Road Initiative is 10 years old.

            I have participated in two Belt and Road Forums organized internationally before.

            I would like you to know that I am honored to be present again at the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative Forum.

            Ladies,

            Gentlemen,

            Before I make my remarks, I would like to share with your delegation, with your kind permission, a picture.

            Today we live in a time of many challenges and crises. In particular, the Russian-Ukrainian war, which is the most important crisis of the last few days, the tension between Kosovo and Serbia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the interminable instability in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, reveal the justification for the importance we attach to the "Belt and Road" initiative.         

            The world economy is in turmoil.

            There is a huge gap between developed and developing countries.

            The ecological environment is deteriorating.

            The concept of cold war and hot war continues.

            The human world is still far from a common prosperity, a common material and spiritual harmony.

            Again, the balance between man and nature is deteriorating every day.

            Along with all these negative values, respect for diversity and differences is disappearing day by day.

            We need mutual respect, dialogue and understanding more than ever. Although we know that our age is the age of knowledge and innovation, enmities between nations, religions and social systems are still provoked and ideological conflicts are encouraged.

            We all know, see and experience this.

            However, what we need is to build a better world and create a mission to work together with common values. I believe that we have to ensure joint consultation, contribution and sharing by bringing together the ideas and know-how of countries, advocating multilateralism.

            The Belt and Road Initiative, now in its 10^th year, is challenging this dark picture I have painted.

            Yes, with 152 countries and a trade volume of 2.7 trillion dollars, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With more than 200 memorandums of understanding signed with 32 international organizations from 152 countries, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With more than 3,000 cooperation projects achieved, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the Silk Road Fund, The Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the demands of the huge market it will create and the institutional advantages of a market economy, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the supply advantages of a complete industrial system and the human resources of a large number of high-quality workers and entrepreneurs, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the country's trade volume reaching 2.7 trillion dollars and employing more than 700,000 people, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            By connecting Asia to Europe and Africa through their historical and cultural values, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the common values of cultures, religions, languages and nations, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            The Belt and Road Initiative, with its land and sea roads, from Beijing to London and from there to Africa and even to the Americas, is defiant.

            With capital convergence and currency integration, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            With the emerging and developing infrastructure networks, especially the upgraded railways and restored ports, the Belt and Road Initiative is defiant.

            In reality, this defiance opens the door to peace, stability, justice, development and tolerance.

            This is because the world under our roof is a ball of fire.

            The Russian-Ukrainian war, the tragedy in Syria, Afghanistan and Lebanon, the seventy-year conflict between Palestine and Israel, what is happening in Karabakh and thus in the Caucasus, the tension between Taiwan and China, are the main problems facing humanity that need a solution.

            I believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will again pave the way for peaceful dialogue and cooperation everywhere and under all circumstances.

            Involuntary migration caused by drought, climate change and terrorism is another bleeding wound.

            Only with defiance can we say "stop" to the dark days we are living in.

            We can only achieve peace and stability through this defiance.

            We all know that the common value of our planet is peace. This is the only desire of countries.

            Given the emergence of a global situation, our aim must be to make the destiny of peoples a common destiny.

            I believe that the challenge of the Belt and Road Initiative has a place and a share in eradicating poverty and enabling people to live in dignity.

            Let us pause here.

            It is wrong to look at this initiative only as a Chinese project. It is incomplete. It is not elegant.

            Because with this initiative there is an opportunity to explore opportunities together. The interests of humanity are common in development and security.

            Humanity does not gain anything by the development and prosperity of one country, but we can achieve prosperity when we aim for a common development in balance and harmony.

            By understanding, recognizing and engaging dialogue with each other, we can create the common values of the global world. Here we see the Belt and Road Initiative defying poverty and insecurity.

            Because the Belt and Road Initiative emphasizes consultation and sharing. It considers human beings and nature together.

            This is the road to peace and stability.

            Therefore, we should consider this not as an initiative of China, but as a common opportunity in front of humanity.

            When we consider it like this, we can better understand the defiance of the Belt and Road Initiative.

            What I mean by defiance is on behalf of humanity.

            A Chinese proverb says: "We are not friends because we do business, we do business because we are friends."

            We will make this proverb our guide and aim to build a richer, safer, more stable world in an atmosphere of peace by increasing our friendships.

            I would like to pause here for a moment to talk about the relationship between my country Türkiye and the Belt and Road.

            As you are well aware, Türkiye has supported the emergence of the Silk Road and has considered this initiative as a historical contribution to the interaction of civilizations, the enrichment and development of the world. Today, the Belt and Road Initiative brings together the ideas and knowledge of countries, advocates for multilateralism, and provides opportunities for the comprehensive revitalization of the Silk Road, benefiting all parties involved. Over the past decade, within the framework of the principles of mutual consultation, contribution, and sharing, the "Belt and Road" initiative has become a preferred platform for international cooperation that transcends geographical boundaries and cultural differences, bringing together development needs.

            Türkiye is among the first countries to support the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2015, Türkiye initiated a new era of multifaceted cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding with China to harmonize the "Belt and Road" and "Middle Corridor" initiatives.

            Furthermore, Türkiye, in conjunction with the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor project, has progressively implemented policy communication, infrastructure connectivity, seamless trade flow, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges. Both parties have established a multi-level and multi-sectoral dialogue and consultation mechanism and formed the Türkiye-China Governmental Cooperation Committee and the "Belt and Road" and "Middle Corridor" Working Group.

            During the COVID-19 pandemic, both countries supported each other. Following a significant earthquake in Türkiye, the active support extended by the Chinese people gave a new meaning to the friendship between the two nations. Looking ahead, the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative will open the doors to a new journey in international cooperation that is larger in scale, higher in level, and deeper in dimension. The Belt and Road Initiative will facilitate the deepening of cooperation between Türkiye and China, creating a broad space for shared development. It should be regarded as a feasible platform for cooperation.
            Our goal should be to achieve innovation-based contributions within a framework of political trust, adhering to the principles of mutual consultation, construction, and sharing.

            Türkiye is ready to work hand in hand within the Belt and Road Initiative to elevate the strategic cooperation relationship between Türkiye and China to a new level, support both countries in making new advancements on the path of modern development, and make greater contributions to the construction of a community of shared destiny for humanity.

            The way forward will be shaped by the defiance posed by the Belt and Road Initiative.