CoHE President Özvar Participates in Panel Entitled "The Role of
Culture and Education in Regional Cooperation" at Antalya Diplomacy
Forum
Özvar: "International students studying in Türkiye assume very
important roles when they return to their home countries. They make us
proud."
"The coexistence of different cultures is a source of richness.
Specifically, their peaceful coexistence in Anatolia is a cultural
heritage."
March 3, 2024
CoHE President Erol Özvar participated in the panel entitled "The Role of
Culture and Education in Regional Cooperation" at the Antalya Diplomacy
Forum.
Özvar attended the panel moderated TRT World presenter Alican Ayanlar
together with Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of the Research Center
for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Aktoti Raimkulova, President
of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, and Şahin Mustafayev,
President of the International Turkic Academy. In his speech, Özvar said
that cooperation strengthened relations between countries and communities,
contributing to the promotion of dialogue rather than conflicts.
He emphasized that CoHE also attached importance to their cooperation in
the fields of education and culture.
"We have welcomed many international students from different countries and
cultures. They can now receive education easily at universities. They can
introduce their cultures to us and we can introduce our culture to them. I
think the coexistence of different cultures is a source of richness.
Specifically, their peaceful coexistence in Anatolia is a cultural
heritage.We are trying to create an inclusive educational
environment at universities. We are proud when we see students from other
countries graduating from Turkish universities. Because they usually assume
very important roles when they return to their home countries. They do
strengthen the relations between Türkiye and their countries. With the
cultural knowledge they have acquired in Türkiye, they are able to
establish much more effective relations between our countries."
"We are trying to further institutionalize sustainable regional
cooperation"
He continued his speech by pointing out the importance of institutional
collaborations and emphasized the relations with the Turkic States. He
stated that they had important cooperation in the field of higher education
with the Turkic world, especially Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan, and said, "We have a motto of working with countries that have
a cultural connection. We have established very strong ties with the Turkic
States. These relations have also strengthened cooperation between our
countries in cultural, scientific and technological aspects. It is very
important for regional cooperation. We are trying to further
institutionalize sustainable regional cooperation."
He stated that the cooperation with Middle Eastern, European and Eurasian
countries also continued to develop and added: "Academics are connecting
with each other very quickly, providing more solidarity and cooperation
opportunities."
At the end of his speech, Özvar emphasized science diplomacy and stated
that the Council of Higher Education worked diligently in this field and
considered education and culture as cornerstones in this regard. He noted
that consultations and cooperation in the regional area would be beneficial
for all stakeholders.
-Bilateral Meetings-
CoHE President Erol Özvar met with TRNC President Ersin Tatar at the
Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Özvar also held a bilateral meeting with Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Chadians Abroad of the Republic of Chad. The parties
discussed the opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Chad in the
field of higher education.
He appeared in TRT Haber's live broadcast and made remarks to Anadolu
Agency about the forum.