ANKARA

Italy's ambassador to Ankara said Oct. 29 centennial celebrations in Türkiye is a commemoration that fills the entire country with joy, pride and a sense of identity.

Giorgio Marrapodi delved into the essence of a society during an interview with Anadolu as he emphasized the 100th year encompasses five generations and is a milestone in a country's history.

Marrapodi said the centennial provides an opportunity to examine past achievements and think about the future, its challenges and opportunities.

"We both are relatively young countries, both with a shared and a century-old culture. But we are also strong partners and allied countries. Partnership is so richly nurtured by constant exchanges and cooperation between our societies. Italy and Turkey have worked many times hand in hand, and this is helped to build to give a contribution to the church to the World Wealth," he said.

The ambassador praised Türkiye's efforts to find peace between Russia and Ukraine, and he expressed his appreciation.

"It has been almost two years of my tenure in Turkey, a country that I have appreciated a lot for what the country is doing, also from the political point of view for putting around the table the international community and trying to find a solution in the war between Russia and Ukraine. In these two years, I've also seen growing political and economic relationship between our two countries,” he said. “It's still vivid, the memory of the intergovernmental summit last year in July when President Erdogan and then-Prime Minister Draghi met in the presidential house.

The ambassador cited an increase in trade between the two countries.

"I believe that when I arrived, the trade volume in 2021 was around $21 billion. Last year, we closed 2022 with an import and export volume of around $26 billion. We are optimistic for 2023," he said.

Türkiye's unforgettable Feb. 6 earthquakes

Marrapodi noted images of the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaras on Feb. 6 and said the memories would always stay with him.

He expressed sympathy for the losses Türkiye suffered and said people lost loved ones and possessions, and survivors lost past lives but he encouraged survivors to move beyond the memories and build new lives.

"Let me say that one image that I will always take with me -- it's the images of the earthquake in southern Türkiye. I was in Iskenderun and Hatay a couple of days after the earthquake -- these images will always remain with my heart. The price in terms of casualties that Türkiye paid to the earthquake was enormous," he added.

Asked about his most vivid memory in Türkiye, Marrapodi said he had collected memories during his two years in the country, and it was difficult to choose one. He said presenting his credentials to Erdogan on Jan. 26, 2022, was a very emotional moment.

And he noted the importance of the intergovernmental summit in July and places he visited in Türkiye would remain important memories in his life.