Hansard debates

Ms SULEYMAN (St Albans) (10:05:50): Last week I lead a Victorian parliamentary delegation to the 2019 Anzac Day commemorative services in Gallipoli with my parliamentary colleagues the members for Ivanhoe, Thomastown and Gippsland East. We attended Turkish, Australian, New Zealand and French services, including Long Pine and the Anzac Day dawn service at Anzac Cove. The services were a moving and humbling experience for us all, and we paid our respects to the fallen. This year we saw a significant increase in the number of attendees. There is no doubt that there is a unique friendship and respect between Australia and Turkey. I would in particular like to acknowledge and thank the Parliament of Turkey; the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Australian ambassador to Turkey, Mr Mark Innes-Brown; the Turkish Electrical Electronics and Services Exporters Association; my good friend the governor of Canakkale, Mr Orhan Tavli; and Mr Seyit Mehmet Apak and everyone for their support and hospitality; and the people of Turkey, who each year make us welcome and maintain the sacred memorial sites all year round. In particular I would like to thank Ms Dilek Keskin and Mr Türker Yener from the Turkish Parliament for their hard work, support, assistance and hospitality during our delegation’s visit. As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk famously said: Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. These words remain true to this day, and I hope that members of our Parliament continue to make the journey to Gallipoli.