His Excellency Governor General,
Distinguished Guests,

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Gallipoli Campaign
as part of Çanakkale Battles in the First World War. April 25th, beginning of
the first landings in Gallipoli, is commemorated as the ANZAC Day across the
world including Canada. It is dedicated to the cherished memories of the
Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Turkish as well as 50 other nations'
soldiers who took part in the Gallipoli Campaign, and made the ultimate
sacrifice.

On this day, we also respectfully remember the sacrifice of the
Newfoundlanders during the First World War. It was the first battlefield where
the young members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment took part in the Great War
where its members landed just to see a good fight.

It has become the turning point in the history of modern Turkey as well as
for Australia and New Zealand. All those heroes waived the torch of lasting
peace to us. A young commander-in-chief in Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,
who later became the first President of the Republic of Turkey, was also among
them. His tribute to all fallen in Gallipoli has become a manifestation of
embracing peace and turning the tragedies of this war into a friendship among
all nations involved from here to eternity:

"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in
the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference
between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this
country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries,
wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land, they become our sons as well."

We will remember.

Thank you.