Former Czechia Ambassador Egemen Bağış receives the "Diplomat of the Year" award at the 21st International Silk Road Golden Men of the Year Awards Ceremony in Istanbul, on Jan. 30.
The event, organized by the Silk Road Public Diplomacy Organization and the International Silk Road Magazine, was attended by notable figures such as Bahçelievler Mayor Hakan Bahadır, Istanbul Deputy Governor Hasan Hüseyin Can, former EU Minister and former Czechia Ambassador Egemen Bağış, as well as representatives from the business and academic sectors of countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Uzbekistan and Germany.
Egemen Bağış received the award for his diplomatic efforts in opening the Turkish Cooperation Park during his tenure as Czechia’s ambassador. The park, planned to be inaugurated on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, was initially rejected by the local municipality on the grounds of lobbying groups regarding the 1915 events. However, Bağış’s diplomatic negotiations led to the park's opening. The inauguration, marking the centenary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Czechoslovakia, was attended by Prague 6 Mayor Jakub Starek, local officials and representatives from over 50 countries, including 30 ambassadors.
Receiving his award from Istanbul Deputy Governor Hasan Hüseyin Can, Bağış expressed his honor in having served Türkiye for 15 years as a member of Parliament and five years as a minister, and in representing the country as an ambassador in Prague for the past five years.
He conveyed his gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for giving him this opportunity and highlighted the significant work accomplished in Prague. Bağış also emphasized the importance of building cultural bridges with regions where people speak the same language as Türkiye, praising Silk Road Public Diplomacy Organization President Seyfullah Türksoy and his team for their efforts in this regard.
He concluded by stating that serving as Türkiye’s ambassador in Czechia, the last country visited by Atatürk abroad, was a great honor.
