Dr. Erman Ilıcak, President of Rönesans Holding, has been awarded the Order of The Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan. The award was made in appreciation of the rapid completion of the Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and for Dr. Ilıcak’s broader efforts to strengthen cooperation and foster friendship between Turkey and Japan.
The conferment ceremony was held at the Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital and hosted by the Embassy of Japan. Those present included Mr. Isao İijima, Special Advisor of the Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Kazuhiro Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan in Ankara, Mr. Masayoshi Fujimoto, CEO of the Sojitz Corporation, and other high-level officials.
Mr. Isao İijima, Special Advisor of the Prime Minister of Japan, congratulated Dr. Erman Ilıcak on behalf of the Japanese Government. He noted that Turkey’s international status is increasing daily and explained that the Japanese Government is paying more attention to Turkey. “Rönesans Holding has been making great progress recently by expanding its business with Japanese companies thanks to its investments in advanced medicine and the Central Asia region. I hope this conferment ceremony will strengthen the relationship between Japan and Turkey and the two companies further, over and above the construction of this hospital. I sincerely congratulate Mr. Ilıcak and his family and the employees of Rönesans,” Mr. İijima added.
After reading the Certificate of the Order, Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki presented Dr. Ilıcak with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. Mr. Suzuki expressed his wish that the Rönesans president would continue contributing to Japan and Turkey's cooperation.
CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto of the Sojitz Corporation stated that the Corporation is proud and happy to have moved forward in partnership with Rönesans. “For many years,” he went on, “Dr. Ilıcak has contributed to the development of Japanese industry and the Japanese economy through his work on the development of infrastructure in Turkey and the Central Asian countries in conjunction with Japanese companies, including our own company, and his achievements have been widely acknowledged.”
Dr. Ilıcak responded as follows: “I would like to express my gratitude to His Majesty Naruhito, the Emperor of Japan, to the Japanese Government, to Mr. Isao İijima, to His Excellency the Ambassador and His Excellency the Consul General, and the esteemed people of Japan for honoring me by attending the conferment ceremony and deeming me worthy of this meaningful order with such a deep-rooted history. On behalf of my country, all Rönesans employees, my family, and myself, I am greatly honored to receive this order, which is a sign of the solidarity and historic friendship of two countries connected by deep, strong, and sincere ties despite the geographical distance between them.”
“Our ancient friendship with Japan, the land of the Rising Sun,” Dr. Ilicak continued, “has been built and strengthened by the support which we have lent each other in difficult times, following the path of mutual respect, gratitude, and tolerance. Therefore it’s an indescribable source of happiness for me to be here today to receive this highly spiritual award at the Başakşehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, one of the proud monuments to the business partnership between Turkey and Japan, which we completed through the contributions of our Presidency.”
“I would also like to extend my thanks to our Japanese partner Masayoshi Fujimoto, the CEO of the Sojitz Corporation, and the managers and employees of the Corporation. They have acquainted us closely with Japanese culture throughout all the projects we have conducted together and added value to our projects with their work and discipline and honesty.”
“I believe that there are many lessons from which humanity may benefit for the future of our world in the synergy between the culture of Japan, which makes you feel respect and kindness for the world, for all living things, and people in every aspect of life, and the culture of Turkey, which has loyalty at its heart.”
Successful projects carried out by Rönesans with Japanese business partners in other countries:
Dr. Erman Ilıcak, awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, was instrumental in ensuring the entry of Turkish and Japanese companies into the Central Asia region. Projects carried out by Rönesans Holding in partnership with Japanese companies have included the world’s most important Gasoline Production from Natural Gas (GTG) Facility, Turkmenistan’s largest fertilizer factory, the Turkmenhimiya Sulfuric Acid Production Facility, and the Zerger power plant. These projects have contributed significantly to the attractiveness of Japanese plant construction technologies and are considered among the best examples of Japan-Turkey-third country cooperation.
Award of Japan’s highest decoration to foreigners: The Order of the Rising Sun, established in 1875, is Japan’s oldest national decoration. Since 1981, it has also been awarded to foreign citizens with distinguished achievements at the discretion of the Emperor of Japan. The award symbolizes energy that is as powerful as the rising sun. It has previously been awarded to 13 figures from Turkey.
The Order of The Rising Sun, the highest decoration awarded to foreigners, has also recently been awarded to the former prime minister of Italy Mario Monte, former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark, former United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former US vice president Richard Cheney, former foreign secretary of the United Kingdom William Hague, and Iran’s former foreign minister Manuchehr Mottaki.
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