The Yunus Emre Institute in Moscow has been inaugurated with a ceremony attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş, President of Yunus Emre Institute Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş, President of Russian institute for cultural diplomacy “Rossotrudniçestvo” Eleonora Valentinovna Mitrofanova, Azerbajani Ambassador Polot Bülbüloğlu and many invitees from education and business sectors.

The Yunus Emre Institute is expanding its activities with its centers extending from USA to Belgium and from South Africa to Morocco promoting Turkey and the Turkish language, culture and art. In this context, the Yunus Emre Institute inaugurated its center in Moscow within the framework of the “Agreement on the Establishment, Operation and Activities of Cultural Centers” signed on 3 December 2012 between the Republic of Turkey and the Russian Federation.

Various activities in the fields of culture and arts will be organized alongside Turkish courses in the Yunus Emre Institute in Moscow which will demonstrate the strength of the cultural diplomacy between Turkey and Russia. It will also support the Turkology departments in the Russian Federation, especially the one in Moscow, and the development of  relations between Turkish universities and Russia. The center contains 4 classrooms, a library, a conference hall and an exhibition hall.

“It Should Become One of the Strong Bastions of the Turkish-Russian Friendship”

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony, the Minister of Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş underlined that Turkey and Russia have begun to work more closely as a result of mutual efforts despite various attempts made to strain their relations. He continued: “I wish that the Yunus Emre Institute in Moscow would become one of the strong bastions of the Turkish-Russian friendship and that it would provide opportunities for many of our Russian friends to learn the Turkish language, which is a language of hearts, and the Turkish culture.”

Exhibition in Memory of Andrey Karlov

A photo exhibition was also organized during the inauguration ceremony in memory of the Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov who was assassinated  in Ankara. The President of the Russian Agency for Diaspora and International Cooperation (Rossotrudniçestvo) Eleonora Mitrofanova said in the ceremony that “this center starts its activities within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in 2012. The Russian Scientific and Cultural Center in Ankara has also been successfully continuing its activities since 2014.”

Many photos from the personal archives of the Karlov family ranging from his university years to his diplomatic life are being displayed in the exhibition.