The Turkish Embassy in Manila marked the Philippines and Türkiye’s 75 years of diplomatic relations with the planting of 75 myrtle seedlings, symbolic of its strong commitment to the bilateral ties in the years to come.

The tree planting event held at the Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) in Los Baños, Laguna province, on Tuesday is part of the embassy’s series of activities to commemorate the anniversary milestone between the two states.

“This activity is very important. In our culture, trees and forests are precious because they can perish very fast so for us planting a tree actually is planting the seed of hope for a more bountiful future, a more prosperous future, and a richer environment,” said Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines Niyazi Evren Akyol.

In a separate interview, the envoy said environment and climate action are some of the areas of cooperation Türkiye is open to further explore with the Philippines.

He noted that Türkiye, which has experienced destructive wildfires due to extremely hot and dry weather in the past, is among the countries highly vulnerable to climate change.

“Both our countries are very active in international fora and all initiatives fighting global warming and climate action— so projects related to climate change present a potential that we would evaluate in the future,” he added.

Beyond tree planting, Makiling Botanic Garden head Juancho Balatibat disclosed that Türkiye’s aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), has also “indicated willingness to support any development” in the area.

If the partnership pushes through, the official said Türkiye would be the second foreign government to sponsor an environment project inside the MBG, next to Thailand.

Balatibat said myrtle was the chosen seedling for the occasion not only because of its economic importance but its characteristic as a “resilient” plant.

“The Myrtaceae-themed garden will serve as the landmark for the celebration of the 75th diplomatic relations between our two countries. And we are optimistic that this relation will also be a very resilient one, just like the Myrtaceae,” he said.

“We hope that there will be a long-term collaboration between our countries, especially for the development of our area here and also for the sake of our Mother Earth,” he added.

The myrtles are composed of shrubs and trees from the family Myrtaceae contai, including notable species such as the Philippine Ironwood or Magkono, the Rainbow Eucalyptus or Bagras, and the endemic Philippine Teak or Malabayabas.

The tree planting event by the TIKA was in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems-MBG.

The 300-hectare MBG is part of the 4,200-hectare Makiling Forest Reserve. (PNA)