Honorable Commodore Karagülle,

Distinguished crew members of Captain Güngör Durmuş vessel,

Distinguished members of the Tunisian Armed Forces,

Esteemed Ambassadors and Defense attachés,

Thank you all for joining us aboard this flagship on this special occasion.

Five vessels from the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) arrived in Tunisia yesterday for a port visit.

Türkiye took over, on June 29, for the 6th time, the command of this Group, which is responsible for NATO's naval operations and training activities for mine warfare under the control of MARCOM, and Colonel KARAGÜLLE has been assigned as the Commander of this Group for the 2nd time.

With all port visits and passing exercises that they are conducting; these vessels are contributing to the security of the Mediterranean region.

Thanks each and every one of you for your extraordinary efforts.

Dear guests,

Since her membership in 1952, Türkiye has been a staunch Ally of NATO and she considers the Alliance as the linchpin of the Transatlantic ties and Euro-Atlantic security.

Being among the top 5 contributors to NATO missions and operations and having the second largest and battle-proven armed forces in NATO, Türkiye stands ready to fulfill her part for the protection of peace and security in our region and beyond.

Dear friends,

As you know, the Turkish Embassy in Tunisia has been entrusted with the duty of NATO Contact Point Embassy (CPE) until the end of 2024.

Assuming the position of CPE is always a matter of competition and Allies always volunteer for this duty in countries where they feel they can contribute the most. For Türkiye, Tunisia has been one of these countries.

Being aware of the critical role that the NATO CPEs play for the Alliance, and the importance of the Alliance’s partnership with Tunisia, it is a great pleasure and honor for us to carry out this task.

Dear guests,

Türkiye’s ties with Tunisia are based on common history and rich cultural heritage. Therefore, we will continue to pursue our efforts aimed at increasing the prosperity and well-being of the friendly and brotherly people of Tunisia in all fields.

As Tunisia aims at being capable of defending itself completely autonomously, but also putting a particular emphasis on international cooperation, in a spirit of partnership, we will do our best to help Tunisia developing a long-term, coherent, sustainable and credible defense model.

Distinguished guests,

Before concluding, I wish to stress that Türkiye is steadfastly becoming a strong naval power in her region. We owe this success to our glorious history which goes back to centuries.

Great seamen such as Oruç Reis, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa and Piri Reis left us a significant legacy in that sense. I’m proud to see that members of the Turkish naval army take this legacy further.

Thank you very much.