Honourable Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives,

Distinguished Consuls General,

Dear Guests,

Assalamu Alaykum ve rahmatullahu ve barakatuhu,

Good Evening,

It is a great honor to welcome you all to the inauguration of this unique exhibition titled "Love of Islam", featuring the exceptional works of world-renowned Turkish artist Mr. İsmail Acar, who has graced this opening event with his presence.

Distinguished Guests,

The “Love of Islam” exhibition, which will be open to public viewing until the 27th of February, in fact constitutes the main celebratory event of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of our Permanent Mission.

This exhibition, as its theme suggests, encapsulates the essence our religion Islam, which is peace, compassion, creativity and openness. İsmail Acar's art eloquently gives novel forms to Islamic art and heritage, serving as a testament to the rich traditions that we collectively cherish.

All these ideals and virtues are reflective of our general approach to the OIC and the positive role we aim to play as Türkiye. It is with this understanding that we wanted to mark our 10th Anniversary with “Love of Islam” by İsmail Acar.

Since its inception in 2015, as the first independent permanent mission to have been established by an OIC member state, our main goal has been to foster unity and collaboration among OIC member states, reflecting Türkiye's unwavering commitment to the shared values and objectives of Islam and the Ummah.

Within this framework, Türkiye, as the second country which hosts the most OIC institutions, will continue to contribute to the well-being of the Ummah and advance the lofty values and objectives espoused by the OIC, as well as to promote regional and global peace and security, whilst safeguarding the rights of Muslim communities throughout the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I also wish to bring to your attention that this splendid exhibition coincides with an extremely important date. As you very well know, in two days, on 22nd of February, we will observe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Founding Day.

This Day signifies the foundation of the first Saudi state in 1727, laying the cornerstone for the unity and development of the Kingdom.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the leadership and the people of Saudi Arabia in advance of this auspicious occasion.

May this exhibition, which takes inspiration from the most noble bond between our nations- namely Islam, serve as an occasion to celebrate the ever-growing fraternal ties and mutual respect between our countries.

Dear art lovers,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again to all of those who have contributed generously to bringing this exhibition to fruition, especially Hayy Jameel Center for hosting this important art event, Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mecca Region Branch for their facilitative role, Turkish Airlines, members of the Jeddah Turkish business community and last but not least, the artist himself, Mr. İsmail Acar.

Thank you and enjoy “Love of Islam”.