Dear Chen Zhimin, Chairman of the Belt and Road
Education Branch,

Dear Jiao Yang, Vice President of Association for
International Exchange of Students,

Dear Zhang Baojun, Vice President of Beijing
Language and Culture University,

Dear Su Kui, Head of International Office of Fudan
University,

Distinguished Guests, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and
Gentleme

It is a great pleasure to be here with you today.

Before starting my speech, please let me extend
my sincere thanks also to the organizers of this significant event; China
Association for International Exchange of Students, Belt and Road Education Committee
and Beijing Language and Culture University.

Such valuable occasions allow us to boost our
cooperation in education, culture and technology through direct interaction.

Mutually strengthened ties between our people
through education will also lead to stronger diplomatic relations and economic
partnerships between our countries.

Dear Guests,

Türkiye and China share a deep and enduring
history of friendship by means of cultural, economic and intellectual exchange.

Our two civilizations were unwaveringly linked
by the ancient Silk Road in the past.

Today, this partnership is embodied on China’s
Belt and Road and Türkiye’s Middle Corridor Initiatives.

Distinguished Guests,

Today, we stand on the threshold of a new era.

The countries of the Global South are on the
rise.

The demand for a more just and multipolar
world order is stronger than ever.

As our President emphasized on many occasions,
the world is bigger than five.

What the developing countries, among them
Türkiye and China need today is clear:

-Sustainable development,

-Innovation and

-Integration of knowledge
and technology.

These principles are not only vital for
economic growth but also for the development of education systems.

Better quality in education will entail better
opportunities for students and better outcomes for societies.

Türkiye and China are the two key countries
which encourage innovative education for further economic growth.

It is our main responsibility to educate
future generations and equip them with the skills they need in the face of
rapid technological change.

Dear Guests,

Under the leadership and common vision of our Presidents
H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, Turkish-Chinese
strategic cooperative relations are strengthening at all levels.

To this end, strengthened people-to-people
exchanges as well as cooperation in the academic field is essential.

As our economies evolve, our educational
systems should also be adapted.

In the digital age, we must embrace the role
of technology in education.

Türkiye and China have both recognized the
importance of integrating industry with education.

In Türkiye, vocational education programs are
closely aligned with the needs of our industries.

We believe that this model can be enhanced
through technological cooperation with China.

Distinguished Guests,

We want to establish stronger partnerships between
Turkish and Chinese universities in the fields of artificial intelligence,
robotics and green technologies.

We can encourage joint research initiatives,
joint academic programs, scholarships exchanges and faculty partnerships for innovation.

This will not only benefit our countries but will
also contribute to the sustainable economic development of the Global
South.

Beyond technology and industry, the cultural
and linguistic exchanges between our great nations also form a significant part
of cooperation.

Language is more than just a tool for
communication; it is the key to appreciate and understand the cultural values
and history of one another.

Confucius Institutes in Türkiye and Yunus Emre
Turkish Culture Center in China serve as the main platforms for deepening this
understanding and exchange.

The Yunus Emre Culture Center in Beijing gives
online Turkish language courses at different levels.

We are happy to see that the number of
students from Türkiye coming to China for educational purposes and vice versa
are increasing.

We encourage more students from Türkiye to
come to China and more Chinese students to study in Türkiye.

Within the framework the Culture Agreement
between our countries, students from both countries are granted mutual
scholarships every year since 1993.

These scholarships give Turkish and Chinese
students the opportunity of learning each other’s culture and language.

These students constitute the main source of
talented work force that Chinese companies in Türkiye and Turkish companies in
China direly need.

China is making significant investments in
education, especially in the fields of technology, artificial intelligence,
software, space sciences, communication and engineering.

We would be happy to see more Turkish students
accepted to these bachelor programs.

Distinguished Guests,

One of the magic words of our time is connectivity.

There is no doubt that connectivity plays a crucial
role for further political and economic cooperation between Türkiye and China.

Türkiye supports China’s Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) from the very beginning.

President Erdoğan attended the 1st Belt and
Road Forum in 2017 and many cooperation agreements were signed on this
occasion.

In 2019, Türkiye announced the Middle Corridor
Initiative that connects Europe and Asia through Türkiye.

This initiative is in natural harmony with the
BRI.

We firmly believe that the harmonization of
the Middle Corridor with China’s Belt and Road Initiative would offer an
important opportunity to expand connectivity within a wider geographical area
stretching from China all the way to the Middle East, Europe and even Africa.

Harmonization of
the two initiative will also bring along logistical advantages.

Seeing these advantages, in 2015, Türkiye and
China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to align these two
initiatives.

As part of this vision, we launched the first
export train from Türkiye to China and from China to Türkiye in 2020.

The arrival of this train was a turning point,
opening a new route that facilitates global uninterrupted trade.

The advantages of Middle Corridor have become
even more evident in light of today’s rising geopolitical risks stemming from
the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the situation in the Red Sea.

Türkiye continues to stand as the main gateway
between Asia, Europe and Africa, providing a safe and uninterrupted route to
global markets.

Therefore, we believe that harmonization of
the Middle Corridor and the Belt and Road should be the main objective and
priority.Dear Guests,

To summarize, please let me share with you my
humble suggestions for the improvement of academic cooperation between Türkiye
and China.

Considering the regional and global weight of
our two countries, I firmly believe that we should enhance our academic
dialogue among think-thanks, research centers and universities.

First of all, Türkiye and China should
establish a joint university and create funds for common academic research at
all levels.

Second; We should increase cooperation between
universities, research centers and think-tanks from both countries.

Third; We should organize joint seminars,
conferences and workshops with the participation of high-level representatives
from both countries.

Fourth; We should establish cooperation
mechanisms to enable the regular exchange of academics and experts.

Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I conclude my remarks here, I want you to
know that, as the Turkish Ambassador, I am always ready to give my full support
to such interaction projects.

I thank once again the organizers of this
valuable conference and wish you a pleasant day.

Thank you for your attention.