ASTANA – As part of activities celebrating Almaty as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2015, the faculty of Oriental Studies of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty has opened a Department of the International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY). The opening ceremony on March 4 was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (APK).
The new department is intended to become another bridge of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Turkic world, and its activities will be designed to promote closer relations among Turkic people; deepen cultural, humanitarian and technical integration; and develop scientific and educational ties. In addition, the department will act as a research centre of Turkic languages and the socio-economic and political processes of Turkic-speaking countries.
One of the important goals of the TURKSOY Department is training competitive specialists in Turkic studies. Teaching will be carried out by highly qualified Kazakh and foreign teachers and scientists engaged in research in various spheres of linguistics, literature, history, political science, philosophy and cultural studies.
The opening ceremony was attended by Secretary-General of TURKSOY Dyusen Kasseinov; representatives of the embassies and consulates of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan; representatives from ethnic and cultural associations within the APK; and scholars, teachers and university students.
Kasseinov stressed that TURKSOY cooperates closely with UNESCO. This interaction is directed not only at the preservation of the cultural heritage of Turkic nations, but also plays an important role in fostering dialogue between cultures. According to him, the new TURKSOY Department will contribute to this cooperation and will take part in TURKSOY activities.
