Turkey – Middle East: International Friendship and Cooperation Symposium

5 minute reading time

With the cooperation of Governorship of Hatay, Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry Atatürk Research Center (ATAM), Mayoralty of Antakya, Mustafa Kemal University, Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) and Foreign Economic Relations Board, “ Turkey – Middle East: International Friendship and Cooperation Symposium” has been organized on 3-5 December 2009 in Antakya-Hatay.

On the first day of the symposium Governor of Hatay Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz, Mayor of Antakya Assoc. Prof. Lütfü Savaş, Rector of Mustafa Kemal University Prof. M. Şerefettin Canda, Director of ATAM Prof. Dr. Cezmi Eraslan and Director of ORSAM Hasan Kanbolat have given speeches.

After the opening speeches, Prof. Ali Aslan from Istanbul University has presented opening conference titled “ Turkey and the Middle East 1908-2009”. The speech, that underlined the general frame of the Turkey-Middle East relations from a historical perpective, became the basis of the presentations.

Symposium began with the first session titled “Turkey-Syria” and “Turkey-Iraq” relations which were the main topics. At the first session chaired by the Director of Mustafa Kemal University Dr.M. Şerefettin Canda and titled “Turkey-Syria Relations: Economy and Tourism”, Director of the DEİK / Turkish-Syrian Business Council Ruhsar PEKCAN, Deputy Director of Turkey Travel Agencies Union Çetin GÜRCÜN, Head of Turkish-Arab Science, Culture and Art Association Dr. Muhammed Adil gave speeches.

After the session that covered Turkey-Syria Economic and Trade Relations, Turkey-Syria Tourism Relations, the Place of Culture and Art in the Friendship and Cooperation between Turkey and Middle East, the Recent Political Relations between Turkey and the Middle Eastern Countries have been mentioned in the session titled “Turkey-Syria Relations: Friendship and Cooperation”. At the session chaired by the Mayor of Antakya Assoc. Prof. Lütfü Savaş, ORSAM specialists and advisors took the floor. ORSAM specialist Oytun Orhan, who made the presentation titled “High Level Strategic Cooperation Era in Turkey-Syria Relations”, stated the factors that rendered the change in the bilateral relations possible and requiry throughout the ten year process.

Later on Assist. Prof Veysel Ayhan from Abant İzzet Baysal University International Relations Department made a presentation titled “Turkey-Lebanon Relations”. Ayhan, provided important informations about the history of Lebanon and its complex political and social structure, anaylzed Turkey’s rising profile in Lebanon and its equal stance towards all the groups in Lebanon within the frame of Turkey’s developing relations with the Middle East.

Final speaker of the session, ORSAM Middle East advisor and METU International Relations lecturer Assoc. Prof. Özlem Tür has dealed with one of the most significant points of the recent agenda, “Turkey-Israel Relations”. With this important presentation that analyzed the factors that necessiated rapproachment in 1990s, the first day of the symposium has ended.

The second day began with the Iraq session. At the session chaired by ORSAM advisor Dr. Kürşad Turan, firstly Çağ University International Relations lecturer Prof. Esat Arslan made a presentation titled “Turkey-Syria-Iraq Relations: Recent Era”. After that, Dr. Suphi Nazım Tevfik from Baghdad University Strategic Research Center gave information about the situation of Turcomen in Iraq and Turkey’s Iraqi policy. Third speaker Hasan Turan, member of Kirkuk County Council raised very valuable points about the “Kirkuk Problem”.

After the speech that covered the demographic changes that has been carried out in Kirkuk, current situation in Kirkuk and expectations from Turkey, as the last speaker ORSAM Middle East advisor and Ahi Evran University International Relations lecturer Assist. Prof. Serhat Erkmen took the floor. After the presentation that mentioned Turkey’s new Iraqi policy and the future of the relations, the symposium continued with the session titled “Hatay”.

At the Hatay session, Prof. Esin Dayı from Erzurum Atatürk University, Prof. Selma Yel from Gazi University, Assist. Prof. Süleyman Hatipoğlu, Mehmet Tekin from Mustafa Kemal University and ATAM specialist Mukaddes Arslan made very informative presentations. The period before and after Hatay’s unification with Turkey has been covered with presentations that have been carried out by a detailed archive work and titled “ Hatay Newspaper 1938-1939” and “ Hatay’s unification with Turkey in the Media”. At this session presentations that attracted too much interest titled “Integration Endavours of Hatay’s Public”, “Assembly Reports of state of Hatay” and “Colonel Şükrü Kanatlı’s Entrance to Hatay with Oral History Method” have been carried out.

The last session of the symposium called “Meeting of Civilizations: Antakya” was chaired by Özlem Tür. Speakers all of whom were from Mustafa Kemal University made very significant presentations. The speech that covered the social, political, economic and geographical effects of the Crusades to the Middle East was given by Assist. Prof. Selim Kaya. Assist. Prof. Songül Çolak made a presentation titled “Middle East from the Outlook of an Orientalist” and covered the perception of the Middle East in the West, inspired by a French pilgrim’s work based on his experience during a Middle Eastern trip. The last two speaker Assist. Prof. Ahmet Gündüz ve Assist. Prof. Gürhan Bahadır gave speeches titled “Two Ottoman cities in the Middle East: Kirkuk and Antakya” and “Antakya as a Good Example to Different Civilizations Living Together”. Symposium has ended with the speeches of Prof. Esin Dayı and Prof. Selma Yel’s evoluation of the prominent points of all presentations. At the closing of the symposium a short film that consisted of historical and impressive sights from the period of Hatay’s unification to Turkey. On the last day of symposium program a one-day Halep trip was organized.

It is possible to reach the symposium program from the link below.

http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Activities/Files/20091216_hatay1.programing.pdf