“In recent days, the ongoing process that we have experienced and witnessed to the core makes us deeply feel the presence of a significant threshold that Turkey is passing through. This transition is like a bridge from stagnation to dynamism, from friendship to brotherhood, from love to embracing, and from growth to being the voice of the oppressed. It seems as if the footsteps of our glorious past, ingrained in our genes but forgotten in the dusty pages of history, are rising from where they fell, heralding a return to the old days.
It appears impossible to hinder and stop a Turkey that has truly established an atmosphere of peace. It should be remembered that a united Turkey will not only bring peace to itself but will also extend peace to the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, infusing the spirit of brotherhood to distant lands. An understanding that does not have this vision, looking at distant horizons through narrow windows, cannot see and comprehend this reality properly. We are the descendants of noble generations who empathize with the suffering of the oppressed and advocate for the establishment of justice more than the benefits gained. Although ages and centuries change, and contextual conditions pose challenges, this understanding will never lose its essence, but rather, it will strengthen even more, just as flowing water always finds its way.
When we return to Laleli with the hope of experiencing happy tomorrows in our beautiful country, we can see that Laleli ranks among the regions where the reality of Turkey is most beautifully reflected. With its cosmopolitan structure, Laleli has been a place where different cultures coexist comfortably for years, serving as an important example for our country’s development. The development of Laleli, where commercial and tourist guests feel at home and can easily make purchases, has been sustained for decades. Naturally, people always prefer to engage in friendship and trade with those they find close to themselves. In this regard, symbolically, Laleli is a real field of application. Our customers, through genuine friendship and mutual understanding, continue our trade over the years, strengthening it with the influence of this reality, contributing to us while opening new doors for themselves.
Laleli, where the basic principle of mutual gain is adopted, not only contributes to the growth of our country but also significantly paves the way for the development of regional cooperation. Today, our region’s business owners and industrialists, each of whom can be considered an ambassador of tourism, feel a greater responsibility and burden within this framework. Every step taken, every right and wrong move made, immediately finds a response, affecting the general perception that forms in people’s minds. In this regard, I have no doubt that all the valuable members of Laleli are extremely sensitive, and they take great care to maintain consistency in their behavior and principles.
As individuals shape society, they inject their values into the community in addition to the values they have adopted, through mutual interaction. Therefore, while you are in Laleli, you inevitably become Laleli, embodying a different identity with your culture, way of life, and essence.
Giyasettin Eyyüpkoca.”
