The Opening Ceremony of the International Turkic World Summer School, organized with the theme “A New Era for the Turkic World”, was held on 29 July 2024 at the Media and Events Center Event Hall. The ceremony, which was attended by our Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. İrfan Gündüz, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees Najmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Rector of the World Economy and Diplomacy University Akram Umarov, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Sadi Jafarov and President of the National Intelligence Academy Prof. Talha Köse, started with the welcoming speeches of Prof. İrfan Gündüz.
Our Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. İrfan Gündüz started his greeting speech by expressing his discomfort with the fact that the native language of the young people of the Turkic states is presented as English and stated that they are proudly watching the transformation of the late Haydar Aliyev's understanding of “One Nation Two States” into the Organization of Turkic States. Stating that they welcomed 150 students from the Turkic world within the scope of the summer school, Prof. Gündüz concluded his speech by advising the students to observe and get to know Turkey, our ancestral homeland, well.
After Prof. İrfan Gündüz, in his welcoming remarks, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees, emphasized the importance of the Turkish states to act strategically while forming their foreign policies, especially against great powers such as China, Europe, America and Russia. Erdoğan stated that despite those who are skeptical about the strengthening of the Turkic states and think that this is not possible, they have not given up dreaming of a better world and Ibn Haldun University has undertaken the intellectual share of this dream, so our Haydar Aliyev Center for Eurasian Studies is of great importance in this sense. Expressing his belief that the International Turkic World Summer School will play a role in strengthening our relations with neighboring states, Erdoğan concluded by adding that he dreams of the day when a child born in any Turkic state can plan an academic career in any other Turkic state without any financial, logistical or moral concerns.
In his welcoming speech, Sadi Jafarov, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, mentioned that the organization is growing day by day and has started to play a greater role in the international arena and that it is necessary for Turkic states to join forces and act as a single force, and talked about the activities of the CIS on youth and education. Jafarov thanked Ibn Haldun University for its contributions to the event and hospitality and concluded his speech by mentioning that the cooperation between our University and TDT is a good example of the unity of educational institutions and international organizations in educating and encouraging young people.
In his welcoming remarks, Vice Rector Prof. Ali Yeşilırmak emphasized that as Ibn Haldun University, we closely follow the developments both in our region and in the world. Prof. Yeşilırmak emphasized that while the world is going through a critical process, the policies pursued by the countries of the Turkic world are of great importance and underlined that our countries need to be stronger, united and together more than ever. While stating that the establishment of the Organization of Turkic States is an important step taken in this context, Yeşilırmak also expressed his belief that the strong stance of the Turkic world will make significant contributions to regional and world peace and will make significant contributions to world trade through the middle corridor.
Stating that one of the goals of establishing the Haydar Aliyev Center for Eurasian Studies was to contribute to the same goal of Ibn Haldun University as well as country leaders and diplomatic missions, our Vice Rector stated that our center does not aim to make qualified contributions to Eurasian studies rising in the international arena and that the Turkish World International Summer School is an indicator of this.
Finally, Akram Umarov, Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, in his welcoming remarks, mentioned that a wide and rich curriculum has been prepared for the Summer School, from historical ties between Turkic states to today's challenges and opportunities. Stating that the strength of the Turkic states lies in the differences between them, Umarov concluded by advising the students to see the Summer School as an opportunity to learn, connect and mature.
In the opening panel of the International Summer School titled “Organization of Turkic States and Member States' Perspectives on the CIS”, President of the National Intelligence Academy Talha Köse, Vice Rector for Science and Innovation of the World Economy and Diplomacy University Gulnoza Ismailova, Director of the Eurasian Research Institute of Ahmet Yesevi University Suat Beylur and Head of the Foreign Policy Analysis Department of the International Relations Analysis Center Javid Veliyev made speeches.
In the Turkic World International Summer School, where we will host 60 participants from the USA, Germany, England, China, Iran, Russia, India, Poland, Pakistan, Bulgaria and 20 countries that are members of the Organization of Turkic States for 7 days, 14 academicians and experts working on the Turkic world, mostly from Turkic states, will lecture. In the summer school, topics such as “The Role of the Turkic World in Regional and Global Relations”, “Geography and History of the Turkic Word: Land, History, Inhabitants and Civilization” and “Regional Integration and Cooperation Activities in Eurasia” will be discussed.
