“THE MEDAL OF MERIT” has been given to Dr. Akkan Suver due to his studies in the field of peace and dialogue and the relationships that he formed in civil society area between Macedonia and Turkey by the President of the Republic of Macedonia.

A crowded group of guests which has involved Turkey Ambassador to Skopje Tulin Erkal Kara, Montenegro Charge d'Affaires Jelena Mlacic, former Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Hadi Nezir and Furkan Cako, a famous journalist, writer and poet İlhami Emin attended to the ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Skopje.

Marmara Group Foundation, was present in the ceremony with a delegation of Müjgan Süver, Ali Rıza Arslan, Sezgin Bilgiç, Işıl Bilgiç and Av. Serhat Tabanca.

The speech text of dr. akkan suver at the medal of merıt ceremony ın skopje

Your Excellency, Mr. President of Macedonia,
Esteemed First Lady,
Honorable Ambassador of Turkey,
Honorable Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Montenegro,
Ladies, Gentlemen,

You have kindly invited us here today.

For exquisite invitation which makes me tremendously moved, I have came with My wife from the Executive Committee of the Marmara Group Foundation, Müjgan Suver, Businessperson Ali Rıza Arslan, Businessperson Sezgin Bilgiç and his wife Işıl Bilgiç, Lawyer Serhat Tabanca and former Macedonian Consul General in Istanbul Zerrin Abaz.

Primarily, I would like to express my gratitude once again.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For Macedonia, even though we do not have a common border we still maintain good neighborly relations with it; the great poet Yahya Kemal has described the cultural climate of Macedonia as "the free air of the Rakofça countryside", has influenced Young Mustafa Kemal more than Thessaloniki.

The first lines of Atatürk's intellectual personality were formed in the Monastir Military Senior High School. Already Thessaloniki, Bitola (Manastır) and Kosovo was an administrative region called "three provinces" of the Ottoman Empire.

The fact that the Great Atatürk had studied in Bitola (Manastır) and then to become Turkey's savior, and established the Republic of Turkey, therefore it is an honor for Macedonia via Bitola (Manastır)

The famous writer Şevket Süreyya Aydemir in his book "Tek Adam" uses the term "last Macedonian" while describing the death of Ataturk. Also one of Atatürk's favorite Balkan folk songs is "Vardar Plain".
Atatürk is the property of humanity. He is the hero of Turkey. He established the modern Republic of Turkey. But his advanced, peaceful, civilized ideas served whole humanity. Humanity has benefited from his ideas. Many countries, which he called "the Oppressed Nations," then carried out their independence movements with the inspiration they took from him.

I would like to emphasize again in the life of the founder of our republic, Great Atatürk, Macedonia has a special place. The main elements that bring our countries closer together constitute the feelings of friendship based on such strong foundations. Marmara Group Foundation, which is a part of the Turkish nation, attaches special importance to the relations with the brotherly Macedonia. Our long-standing relationships with our common culture are based on mutual respect and trust, love and understanding among our people.

Turkey and Macedonia, are the inheritors of common history, geography and culture. Our peoples are interlocked with kinship ties. The Marmara Group Foundation attaches great importance to the development of relations and cooperation with the friendly Macedonia based on equality and mutual benefit. Macedonia and Turkey are two important peace-loving states of the Balkans. The high level of friendship and cooperation relationship between the distinguished president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and your excellency, also serves the development, prosperity, stability and peace of our region. Nobody should have the slightest suspicion about it.

I believe in these feelings and thoughts that this Medal that has been given to me will open a new window to the brotherhood of the Turkish and Macedonian nations, the peace and stability of our countries and the bright future of our relations.

Dear President,

My friends and I have given great importance to the participation of Macedonia in the Eurasian Economic Summits of Marmara Group Foundation. I would like to make a reminder here that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ilinka Mitreva was the first person to come to Turkey and joined the Eurasian Economic Summits in 2001. This door opened by her and continued under your excellency which we met later and whom we attached great importance to our friendship.

Of course, the Istanbul Consul General of Istanbul, Zerrin Abaz, has also made great efforts in bringing these relations to the present.
Therefore, I am in the high honor and excitement of getting this Medal, on behalf of the Great Turkish Nation and its civil society.

Through all my life a wide variety of medals in both in Turkey and outside Turkey, awards, honorary professorships and doctorates has been handed over to me. Each of these has a distinct significance in my politics and civil society life that spans more than fifty years. However, The Medal given to me by my Dear Friend Mr. President Prof Dr. Gjorge Ivanov will always have a special meaning and value.

I will keep this medal as a symbol of Turkey-Macedonia friendship that I have received from the hands of Dear President Gjorge Ivanov whom I am proud to call "my friend".
Today you have given me honor and gladness with this medal.

I would like to thank you once more for myself , my family, the Marmara Group Foundation and the Turkish nation.