While forest fires in Turkey continue in the summer months, 30 thousand of the approximately 150 thousand saplings donated by Korean nature lovers are meeting with soil in Milas district of Muğla. Won Ik Lee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Turkey, who attended the sapling planting ceremony, said, “With the saplings we planted in Muğla, the burned areas will sprout and the friendship between Korea and Turkey will deepen.”

The saplings donated by the Korean nature lovers who support the “We Have the Root – The Green Homeland is All of Us” campaign, initiated by ÇEKUD with the aim of greening the areas damaged by the forest fires in different regions of Turkey in the summer months, continue to meet the soil. ÇEKUD, which has added the saplings of donors in Turkey to the approximately 150 thousand saplings donated by Korean nature lovers, continues to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest in different cities of our country.

After Antalya, Nevşehir, Kilis and Istanbul, the fifth of the friendship forest is being implemented in Muğla. South Korea’s Ambassador to Turkey Won Ik Lee also attended the sapling planting ceremony held in the afforestation area of ​​Akyol village in Milas district. In the Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest in Milas, a total of 32 thousand 500 thousand saplings, of which 30 thousand were donated by Korean nature lovers and 2 thousand 500 by the friends of the teacher Nurselin, will be planted.

“I will plant saplings one by one to represent the Korean people”

In his speech at the sapling planting ceremony, Won Ik Lee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Turkey, said that he was honored to participate in the sapling planting ceremonies of the Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest. Ambassador Lee, who conveyed his condolences and condolences on behalf of the Republic of Korea to the Turkish people affected by the forest fires that took place throughout the country, especially in Muğla, said, “I am very happy to participate in this meaningful event on behalf of the Korean people and to bring the saplings to the soil with you as a token of our friendship.”

“I wish the Korea-Turkey friendship to deepen even more”

Ambassador Won Ik Lee said, “The sacrifices of Turkish veterans in the Korean War constitute a solid foundation for the development of relations between the two countries, and I wish the world-famous resort city of Muğla to be even greener with today’s sapling planting ceremony, and at the same time, I wish that the relations with Korea will be greener. I hope the friendship between Turkey deepens. I would like to express my thanks once again to the officials of the General Directorate of Forestry, Milas Municipality, Turkish Environmental Organizations Solidarity Association (ÇEKUD), who made every effort to create the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest, and to everyone who gathered here today to plant saplings.”

“Turkey-Korea friendship will take root with saplings”

Reminding that they started a “We Have Roots” campaign with the slogan “Green Homeland for All of Us” in order to contribute to the re-greening of burned forest areas, ÇEKUD President Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik said, “While our campaign was continuing, we encountered the favor of our Korean friends, with whom we are close by heart despite the distance. After the Turkey-Korea Volleyball match, upon the call for sapling donation made by the Captain of the Republic of Korea Volleyball National Team Kim Yeon-kyoung, tens of thousands of Korean nature lovers donated more than 130,000 saplings to Turkey in a few weeks via dikiliagacimvar.com, and today this figure is close to 150,000. . We would like to thank the Korean nature lovers for their support for the greening of the areas damaged by forest fires in Turkey, and we would like to express our gratitude for choosing ÇEKUD and our www.dikiliagacimvar.com donation site for sapling donations.”

“Our friendship will take root when the saplings turn into trees”

President Debik said, “Due to this appreciation of our Korean friends, we, as ÇEKUD, decided to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forests. We aimed to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forests in Antalya, Istanbul, Nevşehir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Muğla, which are also heavily preferred by Korean tourists. We are here today to bring the fifth of the friendship forest to life. We will reach our goal with the planting in Osmaniye, which we will carry out on February 22, 2022. We are sure that our friendship will take root when carefully planted saplings turn into trees. Both during the continuation of the donations and the creation of the Friendship Forests, the Korean Ambassador, My Dear Friend Won Ik Lee, did not fail to show their interest and support. I would like to express my gratitude to them for their close interest and support.”

Muğla Deputy Governor Caner Yıldız, who attended the ceremony, gave information about Turkey’s forest fire response activities. Erdal Dingil, Deputy Regional Director of Forestry, stated that our Korean veterans’ participation in the Korean War in the 1950s is the basis of relations between the two countries.

After the ceremony, 30 thousand of the approximately 150 thousand saplings donated by Korean nature lovers began to be planted in the afforestation area of ​​Akyol village of Milas with the participation of hundreds of nature lovers. The sixth of Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest will be established in Osmaniye Kadirli after Antalya, Nevşehir, Kilis, Istanbul and Muğla.

Environmental Organizations Solidarity Association (ÇEKUD) will introduce 130 thousand seedlings donated by Korean nature lovers upon forest fires in Turkey to the soil by establishing a “Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest”.

Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, Chairman of the Board of ÇEKUD and board members paid a thank you visit to South Korea’s Ankara Ambassador Won Ik Lee for the seedling donations made by Korean nature lovers during the forest fires in Turkey.

Expressing his satisfaction with the visit, Ambassador Lee said, “Our friendship with Turkey, based on love and respect, is at a level that will set an example for the world. It is pleasing that the friendship between two countries is strengthened with an environmentalist approach and seedling donations.”

Noting that he found ÇEKUD‘s activities very beneficial, Ambassador Lee said: “I visited ÇEKUD‘s donation website and donated 50 seedlings, so that I will have trees planted in Turkey. The establishment of the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest is a great pleasure for all of us. “It would be meaningful to establish the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest in touristic places such as Istanbul, Antalya and Ephesus, where Korean tourists are familiar with and can visit when they come. I believe that our Korean citizens who will visit Turkey will desire to see this forest of friendship.”

“Our burning forests will also become green with the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest that we will establish”

Prof. Dr. Debik gave information to Ambassador Lee about afforestation and environmental activities in Turkey. Stating that the friendship between the peoples of Turkey and Korea goes back to the past, Debik said, “While the forest fires, which deeply saddened us all, continued, South Korea Volleyball National Team Captain Kim Yeon-koung and the Korean National Team supporters called for seedling donation and thousands of Korean nature lovers showed great interest in this call. It not only alleviated our sadness but also confirmed that Korea-Turkey friendship is not temporary but permanent.”

Debik expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Turkish people to all Korean sports fans and nature lovers who continue their donations. Debik stated that they will bring the seedlings donated by Korean nature lovers to the soil by developing projects with the General Directorate of Forestry for the re-greening of the burned forests.

“We believe that the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest, which we aim to realize in couple places in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Marmara regions, will further consolidate and deepen the friendship, which is approaching a century, between the two countries. Our burning forests will also become greener and lusher with the Korea-Turkey Friendship Forest that we will establish” he assessed.

During the visit, the intention to hold the 6th International Environment and Morals Symposium in cooperation with ÇEKUD and Environment Foundation in 2022 with the partnership of one of the renowned universities in Korea was mutually expressed. At the end of the visit, ÇEKUD presented Ambassador Lee a certificate of 100 seedlings donated on his behalf and a T-shirt with the theme of “Have a Planted Tree” was presented to him. Ambassador Lee also presented a gift themed Turkish Veterans of the Korean War to the ÇEKUD administration.

ÇEKUD launched a seedling donation campaign with the motto “Rooted In Ourselves – The Green Homeland is Ours” due to the forest fires that took place in Turkey in the past weeks. Upon the call of the South Korean Volleyball National Team Captain Kim Yeon-koung and the Korean National Team supporters for seedling donation, thousands of Korean nature lovers donated over 130,000 seedlings to Turkey through the website; www.dikiliagacimvar.com for the regeneration of burned areas. Seedling donations are still ongoing.