Many locals and tourists were amazed last Tuesday, October 29, when they saw the lighting of the clock tower in Cartagena, Bolívar, with the colors of the Turkish flag. What many did not know was to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the proclamation as the Republic of Türkiye, which occurred in 1923 and was led by Mustafa Kemal.
For Turkish citizens this day is a space full of unity, joy, but above all, transformation of their country. The celebration was supported by the International Cooperation office, which for several years has had a union with that country for the well-being of all the people in this area of the Caribbean.
María Abondano, Director of the Cartagena International Cooperation Office, told SEMANA that what they seek is to strengthen ties between Türkiye and the capital of Bolívar.
“We received a request a couple of weeks ago from the honorary consul here in Cartagena, from Turkey, asking us if it was possible that the Reindeer Tower could be turned red last night, to commemorate Turkey Day, “It was yesterday, and yesterday it was officially celebrated in Bogotá, but the idea was that this would be generated as a strategic alliance between Cartagena and Türkiye,” the official explained.
Likewise, the official indicated that: “We were able to do it and apart from that, we took advantage of the opportunity to commemorate the support that Turkey, through Tika, has given to Cartagena in Escuela Taller. This contribution was a couple of years ago, but the idea is that this is the strengthening itself to continue with this type of interventions and support from Turkey and strengthen the relationship between Turkey and Cartagena.”
