On May 12, 2021, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey in Kazakhstan Mr. Ufuk Ekici delivered an online lecture on the occasion of the "ÜILESIM" Day of the Faculty of International Relations of the L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University within the "Mereyli ay (Jubilee Month)" programme. The lecture was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence and the 25th anniversary of the university, and also focused on cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
At the opening of the lecture, the Dean of the Faculty of International Relations M.M.Kosybayev dwelled on the Kazakh-Turkish relations and passed the opening remarks to A.N.Zholdasbekova, the vice-rector for international cooperation. A.N. Zholdasbekova noted that L.N.Gumilyov ENU attaches great importance to cooperation in the field of science and education with the Republic of Turkey and noted that close ties have been established with the leading Turkish universities, including Mimar Sinan University, Aegean University, Gazi University, and Pamukkale University.
Mr. Ufuk Ekici made an in-depth study of the history and ancient ties of the two brotherly peoples and spoke about the valuable aspects of Turkish-Kazakh relations. "I’m not a historian, but in order to understand the present and move forward, I would like to take a brief look at our past," he said, referring to centuries in common. "A brief overview of our history, which includes commonalities of our origins, and also our post-independence relationship are the guide to the future" says His Excellency, the Ambassador.
He also noted that the common historical, cultural and spiritual ties between the two brotherly countries have enhanced the dynamic development of our relations in all areas since the early days of Independence. He noted that today the number of students seeking higher education in both countries is growing. Today, in addition to scholarship recipients, the number of Kazakh students still studying in Turkey reaches 3,000. Last year alone, over 4,000 applications from Kazakhstan received the Turkey Scholarship. This year the number of applications has increased up to 7,000. We have also increased the number of scholarships annually awarded to Kazakhstan by 200. However, due to the pandemic in the 2020-2021 academic year, only about 100 students from Kazakhstan were able to obtain scholarship. He noted that there are good results in the sphere of cultural cooperation. He expressed confidence that Turkey and Kazakhstan will further maintain relations and cooperation with each other and other fraternal countries in various fields.
