ANKARA (AA) - US Ambassador in Ankara Francis Ricciardone hosted on Wednesday a ceremony to celebrate the country's 237th anniversary of independence.
Turkish ministers of domestic affairs, defense, EU affairs, national education, forestry, as well as deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party attended the event.
"Two hundred and thirty seven years after we declared our independence as a republic, we still celebrate our independence by confronting and testing new ideas, no matter how provocative or critical of the status quo," Ricciardone said, addressing a large gathering of diplomats and politicians
"Today, the citizens of the great Republic of Turkey are also debating very passionately which ideas, philosophies and values should prevail in your own marketplace," he said.
The liveliness of the debate, as indicated by the recent Gezi Park protests, demonstrates how far Turkish democracy has come since 1979, he said, when his wife and he came to Turkey on their first diplomatic assignment.
The United States stands by the Republic of Turkey and its democracy, and reaffirms its support for all Turkish citizens' freedom of expression and of peaceful public assembly, Ricciardone said.
"As your friends and allies we're listening to the people of Turkey, across the social and political spectrum. with great attention and respect," he said.
The ambassador also quoted the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who said: "The rise of ideas cannot be subdued, but only reinforced, by force and coercion. The most effective solution is to counter them with new ideas."
- "Fighting for peace and freedom"
Turkish Minister of Defense Ismet Yilmaz said his country and the US had historically strong relations, with the recent period, marked by a "model partnership", being all the more intense and fruitful.
"Thanks to our NATO partnership spanning more than sixty years, we have been and are fighting for peace and freedom in many parts of the world together," Yilmaz said.
"I believe the values of freedom, democracy and rule of law, all commonly shared by the Turkish and American peoples, will continue to inform our relations with US in the future."
Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said Turkey was open to all lines of thinking, provided they did not entail violence.
"Those who are certain of their thoughts do not object to freedom of thought, and those firm in their belief do not go against freedom of religion," he said. "We are always open to all thoughts and ideas as long as they do not contain violence or call for violence."
Bagis said Turkey and US had always emphasized consultation, and listened to each other intently.
"The unshakable alliance between our two countries is vital for the establishment and maintenance of peace and confidence in the Middle East and nearby regions."
