Minister of Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş gathered with his Chinese counterpart Luo Shugang in Beijing. Kurtulmuş said, "Yunus Emre Enstitüsü and Confucius Institute are good opportunities for both countries!" 

Kurtulmuş met with Chinese Minister of Culture Luo Shugang in Chinese capital of Beijing, he visited to pay official visits. Culture and tourism between two countries were discussed in the meeting held at the Ministry of Culture residence.

Stressing that there is a strong will to further the relations and cooperation between China and Turkey, Kurtulmuş said, "We must strengthen our cooperation in the field of tourism. The soft power to strengthen this cooperation, are in fields of culture and tourism. China declaring next year as 'Turkey Tourism Year' is the most important project of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.”

Minister Kurtulmuş said that the establishment of "Turkish-Chinese University" also supported by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is of great importance and stressed that both ministries should sensitively focus on this issue.

Goal: One million Chinese tourists

Marking that they expect 200 thousand Chinese tourists to visit Turkey within this year, Kurtulmuş spoke as follows, "This figure is not enough; we would like this figure to reach one million. We especially want to further the cooperation between the tourism operators of China and Turkey. Confucius Institute in Turkey and Yunus Emre Enstitüsü in China are good opportunities to bring the borders of two countries closer.”

Minister Kurtulmuş expressed the following:

"Turkish President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attaches special importance to the relations between the two countries. Turkey and China are two valuable countries, one located in Eastern and one in Western Asia, at Europe's gate. Both countries have very rich and deep-rooted histories and cultural backgrounds. China is a large country with 5 thousand years of state tradition. Turkey is a country that is home to many rich and diverse cultures with thousands of years of state tradition. Although there is a long distance between the countries, we establish closer relations in order to further the friendly ties with People's Republic of China.”

Kurtulmuş said that there are similarities in cultural, political and economic relations, adding that they expect the relations to develop in every field with the "Generation and the Road" Project.

Kurtulmuş expressed that they believe the relations between Turkey and China will improve in every area, mainly in energy, transportation, culture and tourism, and that they are determined in this sense. He said, "I hope this visit will also significantly contribute to our cooperation in the field of culture.”

Chinese Minister Praised Topkapı Palace

Stating that he examined the porcelains exhibited in Topkapı Palace, Luo said, "China is known as a porcelain country however I have never come across works as fine as those exhibited in Topkapı, not even in China. I think these works are projections of the Silk Road."

Minister Luo announced that they will organize a major event since next year was declared as "Turkey Year".

Kurtulmuş visited the historical sites and tourist destinations in Beijing after the meeting, and he will gather with journalists and Chinese tour operators within the scope of his official visits in Beijing.