A delegation of Hungarian journalists paid a one-week visit to Turkey. Their trip was organized by the Headquarters of the Yunus Emre Institute in Ankara and its Representation in Budapest. The program was launched in Ankara where the guests visited the Yunus Emre Institute (Yunus Emre Enstitüsü) where they were received by Abdullah Kutalmis Yalcin, the vice president of the Institute.
The Yunus Emre Institute started its work in 2009 in the form of a public foundation after it had been established by Act 5653 of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The objective of the Institute has been to acquaint the world with Turkey, its language, history, culture and art. After greeting the guests, Abdullah Kutalmis Yalcin underlined that today 64 institutes are working in fifty countries, and further ones are expected to be opened. The Representation of the Institute was opened in Budapest in 2013. Since the summer of 2021 it has been headed by Mustafa Aydogdu who also accompanied the delegation to Ankara.
Vice President Yalcin recapitulated the more important stages of the past thirteen years of the Institute. During this time they have adhered to the slogan drafted at the time of their establishment. ” Make contact with Turkey in all parts of the world, and increase the number of people who like Turkey.” Besides these goals, the duty of the Institute in any given country is teach the Turkish language. In the latter, the Representation in Budapest has a good record, since about 1.200 students have been studying there since it was opened.
Vice President Yalcin proudly pointed out that since its establishment in 2013, the Representation in Budapest has held about 450 cultural events in the capital and in other places in Hungary. As an example, he cited the fact that last year a square in Szigetvár was named after Yunus Emre. Concerning the tasks for the future, he stressed that 2024 would be the Year of Turkish–Hungarian Culture, and this would be challenging for the staff of both the Headquarters in Ankara and that of the Representation in Budapest.
During the visit, His Excellency Viktor Mátis also joined the discussion via Skype. The Ambassador of Hungary to Ankara highlighted the fact that besides strengthening cultural ties, the political and economic cooperation between Hungary and Turkey has also greatly developed. Despite the crisis caused by the coronavirus, last year several ministerial meetings were held. The Fifth Joint Government Session was also held during which the sides took stock of almost all the fields of bilateral cooperation. The Ambassador of Hungary also underscored the field of education – last year there were 1824 applicants from Turkey for the 150 scholarships that had been advertised. For this reason, the number has been raised to 200, and students from Turkey may be able to study also nuclear science in Hungary.
During the leg of their tour in the Turkish capital, the Hungarian journalists also visited the Chair of Hungarian Studies at the University of Ankara where the teaching of Hungarian language and literature has been going on since 1936. Besides this, the guests also called at the ultra modern national library which was inaugurated not long ago. It receives readers – most of whom belong to the younger generations – round the clock.
After leaving Ankara, the delegation of the Hungarian journalists travelled to Bursa in the North-West of Turkey where they met the leaders of the town. In 2022, Bursa became the cultural capital of the Organization of Turkic States. This rewarding title will be manifested by a great number of programs throughout the year. The visit will be completed in Istanbul and its vicinity where the guests will visit several venues that are important from the point of view of Hungarian history and cultural life.
