Queen Elizabeth visits Turkey
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
- 26 January 2012: Wikinews Shorts: January 26, 2012
- 24 October 2011: Earthquake hits Turkey, hundreds reported dead
- 12 October 2011: Habertürk media sparks outrage over woman’s murder photo in Turkey
- 17 July 2011: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticizes Turkey over human rights concerns
- 22 May 2011: Two dead as earthquake strikes Kütahya, Turkey
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Queen Elizabeth II, the UK and Commonwealth Realms head of state, recently arrived in Turkey. She said in a speech made on arrival that she was "delighted to be back in Turkey more than 36 years after our last visit of which we have many happy memories."
Her Majesty continued, "here in 1971, I remarked on the tremendous achievement of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in guiding this country of rich and ancient traditions along a course towards a modern, enlightened and democratic state."
The Queen praised Turkey for its efforts on democracy. "One could hardly have imagined then the further strides that Turkey would take to become today's confident and dynamic democracy. In this new century, we can celebrate the links between our two countries [Turkey and the UK] as being stronger than ever."
On the relationship between Turkey and the UK, the Queen commented as follows:
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Thus it is that thousands of jobs in both countries depend on our trade; Turkey is visited by two million British tourists each year; many thousand Britons have made their homes here; and, we are pleased to welcome increasing numbers of Turkish students in the United Kingdom. |  |
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—Queen Elizabeth II |
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Sources
- "Queen Elizabeth’s visit a show of strengthening Turkish-UK relations" — Hurriyet, May 14, 2008
- "Text of The Queen's speech at the State Banquet in Turkey" — British Monarchy, May 13, 2008
