The preparation meeting of the World Turkic Forum which is planned to be organized by TASAM between 20-22 October 2010 in Mardin, was held in the Grand Cevahir Hotel and Congress Center on 13th May 2010. Some important people attended to the preparation meeting of the Forum whose main theme is “Turkic Council, Turkic Diaspora and Socio-Economic Cooperation”. Here are some of these important people;
Hasan DURUER, Mardin Governor; Prof. Nevzat YALÇINTAŞ, 21th-22nd Period Deputy of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Prof. Ahat ANDİCAN, Previous Minister of State and Academic Member of Çapa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University; Bülent KARADENİZ, Vice President of Strategic Researches Centre in the Republic of Turkey - Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Prof. Korkut TUNA, Dean of Literature Faculty, Istanbul University; Prof. Hayati TÜFEKÇİOĞLU, Principal of Eurasian Institute, Istanbul University; Prof. Duygu SEZER, Academic Member of International Relations Department, Bilkent University; Prof. Rahmi KARAKUŞ, Academic Member of Sakarya University; Ambassador (R) Assoc. Prof. Ali Engin OBA, Ankara Representative of TASAM; Ambassador (R) Murat BİLHAN, Vice Chairman of TASAM; Ambassador (R) Ömür ORHUN; Süleyman ŞENSOY, President of TASAM; Assist. Prof. Engin SELÇUK, Director of TASAM and Dr. Almagül İSİNA, Expert of Central Asia of TASAM.
These people couldn’t attend to the meeting because of their excuses;
Prof. Mustafa İSEN, Republic of Turkey Secretary General; Prof. Halil İNALCIK; Prof. İlber ORTAYLI, President of Topkapı Museum; Prof. Vamık VOLKAN; Prof. Kenan GÜRSOY, Vatican Ambassador; Prof. Emine GÜRSOY NASKALİ, Academic Member of Marmara University; Prof. Timur KOCAOĞLU, Academic Member of Koç University; Prof. Bozkurt GÜVENÇ; İbrahim ŞAHİN, General Director of TRT (Turkish Radio and Television/The Official Channel of Turkey); Köksal TOPTAN, Representative of Zonguldak in the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Hilmi YAVUZ, Journalist of Zaman; Ataol BEHRAMOĞLU, Academic Member of Russian Language and Literature Department, Beykent University; Assoc. Prof. Hanım HALİLOVA, Academic Member of Ankara University; Author Mustafa KUTLU.
There were underlined that Forum was going to bring together Turkic Republics, Turkic societies and Turkic Diaspora, so that the relations between universities and nongovernmental organizations were supposed to be improved. Besides there was emphasized that attendance of the Turkic Republics to the Forum had highly significance, it was pointed out that; attendance of Turkic Diaspora, representatives of Turkic societies of many parts on the world, nongovernmental organizations and universities was supposed to be promoted to make the Forum more extensive.
About the World Turkic Forum activity whose first is going to be held in Mardin, Süleyman Şensoy, The President of TASAM, said in his opening speech that they prepared this project in 2003 but put into practice today as the process was grown. Şensoy who pointed out that there was a lot of studies intended to Turkic World after the break of Soviet Union, said that as a main point of the Forum, he aimed at realizing an institutionalization in basic opinion, producing politics intended to solution.
After Süleyman Şensoy’s opening speech, Previous Minister of State and Academic Member of Çapa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University Prof. Ahat Andican expressed that this initiative of TASAM was going to fill a space which exists in the Turkic World. He also marked that the previous initiatives faced some problems and lost their supports simultaneously but the Forum was going to make assist in processes of Turkic World in positive way. Andican signed that Forum might come across with two important problems. Andican who explained that there might be a difficulty in determining the representatives firstly, said “the Forum is going to be unsuccessful as long as the attendance of administrative staff or opinion leaders of Turkic Republics is not provided.” He also emphasized that it was hard to provide the attendance of Turkic Republics in government level to initiatives where generally took place nongovernmental organizations which are mostly formed by oppositions. Andican underlined that people and institutions which are planned to be attended to the Forum, were supposed to be determined according to the real politics. In conclusion, Andican expressed that instead of organizing the Forum in parallel meetings format, focusing on a few certain subject each year and relatively arranging the profile of people and institutions who would attend, were highly important for continuity of the Forum, hence the repetitions could be prevented. He also added that Forums which are held under certain concepts, would increase the effect.
Prof. Nevzat Yalçıntaş, 21th-22nd Period Deputy of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, suggested that locution “Turkic Societies” should be used instead of the word “Diaspora”. Yalçıntaş who underlined that the aim was supposed to be “Turkic Unity”, emphasized that concept of “diaspora” meant minority and didn’t contain citizenship.
Ambassador (R) Ömür Orhun emphasized that first of all it was supposed to be determined that which one of the expressions was meant. He also added that Turkic Republics didn’t accept themselves as Turkish, they accepted themselves as Turkic. Ambassador (R) Orhun said that because of being a think tank, natural interlocutors of TASAM were think tanks and nongovernmental organizations, it might appear as a problem for the Forum, because of the institutions consisting of opponent groups of the regime of Turkic Republics which are needed to be attended to the Forum. Ambassador (R) Orhun, pointed out that he believed the fact that the studies to be done within the Forum, were going to contribute at weak politics of Turkey about Caucasus and Central Asia.
Ambassador (R) Assoc. Prof. Ali Engin Oba, Ankara Representative of TASAM, underlined that to emphasize some different states of belonging such as Uzbek, Kazakh, Kirghiz instead of concept “Turkic” could make sabotage to the Forum and it meant the broken Turkic World. He finally said that at least in a cultural level, concept of “Turkic Nationalism” was supposed to be strengthening power of the Forum.
Then Ambassador (R) Ömür Orhun continued his sentences again and said that it was necessary to leave out of agenda the subject of using word “Turkish” and to emphasize consanguinity and brotherhood for not to make broken of any society in Central Asia. So in conclusion he underlined that; first, it was essential to determine what the Forum aimed at, then the problems were supposed to be named and potency of the Forum about making problems out of agenda was supposed to be judged.
Prof. Duygu Sezer, Academic Member of International Relations Department, Bilkent University, expressed that the prior aim of the Forum was to fill the gap of knowledge about Central Asia. Sezer who pointed out that world of Caucasus and Central Asia was unknown by Turkey, emphasized that the Forum whose emphasis was to fill the gap of knowledge about these subjects, in addition, to introduce this world, was able to contribute to extend an ally circle for a long time and hence we could find a chance to know our consanguinities and our culture closer. And she marked that the project of TASAM was going to be a mediator and it had a great potential according to her comment.
Prof. Hayati Tüfekçioğlu, Principal of Eurasian Institute, Istanbul University, pointed out that there was an estrangement among Turkic Republics, hence, to know each other and to make connections were essential. Tüfekçioğlu who stated that store knowledge was false, lack and not enough, underlined that it was supposed to be assigned what should be done about the improvement of mutual benefits. Then he said that Turkic population out of Turkey had so important potential for Turkey.
Ambassador (R) Murat Bilhan, Vice Chairman of TASAM, said that not only Turkey showed to get together its consanguinities and relations who moved on many different parts of the world, but also some meetings like that one was held in the earth. He added that hence problems could be appeared only if the Forum was seen as a threat while it was performed.
Bülent Karadeniz, Vice President of Strategic Researches Centre in the Republic of Turkey - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed that we were supposed to analyze problematic concept “Turkic” in a realistic way. He said that the other important problem was how they could get together all the societies from many different places on the world. Karadeniz who emphasized that not only variety but also being connective was important, suggested that concept “Turkic societies” should be used as a container of both of the elements.
Prof. Korkut Tuna, Dean of Literature Faculty, Istanbul University, expressed that concept Turkic World as a confirmed concept was going to contain and surround all concepts which were offered. Tuna pointed out that Turkic World was the least known side of us, it was important that to open all the doors with relations which was going to be formed among the universities, scientific institutions or research centers, and the World Turkic Forum was going to be a potential action; TASAM was going to make a base to the studies which are going to be done in future.
Prof. Rahmi Karakuş, Academic Member of Sakarya University, underlined that there were some questions about calling people as “Turkic”. Then he emphasized that the World Turkic Forum was not supposed to take its power from Turkey but it was supposed to take the power from the Turkics in abroad. Karakuş who pointed out that center of Diaspora didn’t get together in only one place; in addition expressed that the World Turkic Forum was supposed to be a forum which took Turkey and Europe as centers and steadily contained the Turkics in East.
In the concluding speech, Prof. Nevzat Yalçıntaş, 22nd Period Deputy of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, marked that he sincerely believed the World Turkic Forum whose first was held in Mardin, by saying, "Forum should have two main aims. First of them to emphasize the Turkic identity; and the other is cultural integration. ”. He underlined the circle of basic aims of the World Turkic Forum. And in conclusion, he pointed out that the Forum could contribute at the academic aggregation by the way of staffs, combined cooperation and inculcation, additionally he said that after making some combined cooperation with present official institutions and nongovernmental organizations, the Forum was going to be provided to have good success.
