YTB Brought Turkic World Academics Together in Ankara

The opening program, held at the YTB Anatolia Culture and Art Hall, was attended by rectors, vice rectors, academics, and experts from Turkic World countries, as well as the ambassadors of the relevant countries.

​At the opening event, Academic Coordinator of the ORTAK Program and Dean of Hacettepe University Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Şefika Şule Erçetin, President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, YTB President Abdulhadi Turus, and Chairman of the Türkiye-Uzbekistan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Osman Mesten took part as speakers.

​In his opening speech, YTB President Abdulhadi Turus referenced President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s words, “The geography of Turkestan is an indispensable part of our heart, mind, and conscience,” stating that relations with the Turkic world are not limited solely to diplomatic ties, but are based on a deep-rooted law of brotherhood.

​Stating that the year 2026 carries a very special meaning in this respect, Turus recalled that the 35th anniversary of the independence of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan is being commemorated.

​Expressing that over the past 35 years, this brotherhood has been moved to a much broader and stronger ground extending from interstate relations to joint institutions, and from economy to culture, education, and science, Turus used the expressions: “Now, what falls upon us is to multiply the concrete steps that will carry this great accumulation into the shared future of upcoming generations.”

​Stating that Ismail Gasprinsky’s words, “Unity in language, thought, and action,” stand before them today as a much more vibrant roadmap, Turus used the phrasing: “To understand each other in language, to think together in thought, and to produce together in action.”

​Emphasizing that this understanding shapes YTB's main approach to its Turkic world efforts, Turus stated that they weave relations stitch by stitch through human ties and trained human resources.

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Emphasizing that the ORTAK Program, opened today, is an important step in terms of transforming the historical and cultural ties among Turkic World countries into a stronger and more sustainable cooperation in the field of higher education, Turus said: “Because partnership is not becoming identical; it is learning from each other’s experience, sharing our strengths, and generating solutions to our common issues together.”

​Within the scope of the ORTAK Program, training sessions and meetings will be held in Ankara between September 7 and 11, 2026. In addition to developing higher education cooperation among Turkic World countries, increasing technological and academic partnerships and strengthening the sharing of knowledge and experience will be discussed in the program. Certificates will be presented to the participants at the end of the program.

​Carried out in line with the understanding of “unity in language, thought, and action,” the ORTAK Program aims to strengthen the bonds between higher education institutions in the Turkic World, share best practices, and develop joint projects.