Organised by the Directorate of Communications in Ankara, the panel titled “Culture and Art in the Turkic World: From Tradition to the Future” was held in Ankara as part of the “Turkic World Dialogue Forum".
Speaking at the opening of the panel, the President of the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), Prof. Selim Argun, stated that the Turkic world represented a vast historical heritage shaped over centuries within a shared sphere of unity, culture and civilisation, and that culture and art were the most important means of preserving and transmitting this heritage.
Noting that culture and art were among the fundamental pillars of the Turkic World Vision 2040 document, Argun described culture as the strongest foundation upon which societies come together, shared memories are built, and bonds of affection are strengthened and take root.
“We are members of a great family of more than 300 million people, whose history stretches back to the name of the Turkic nation carved into stone in Orkhon. Today, we are collectively witnessing a shared awakening and revival across the Turkic world,” Argun said.
Emphasising that preserving culture meant carrying it into the future as a living, dynamic and constantly evolving set of values, Argun said, “We must remember the past without imitating it, and embrace change without becoming alienated from our own identity.”
