Japan: Erdogan visits Ottoman-themed exhibition center

By Enes Kaplan and Bahattin Gonultas
KYOTO (AA) – Turkish president on Sunday visited an Ottoman-themed exhibition in Kyoto city of Japan after finishing his official talks in line with the G20 summit in Osaka city.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Japan marked 2019 as the Year of Turkish Culture and Turkey dispatched various historical items from the Ottoman Empire era to Japan for exhibition purposes.
"... the exhibition, first in Tokyo and then Kyoto, has received great interest," President Erdogan said, stating cultural exchange was of huge importance which created opportunities that will help the integration of the people of Turkey and Japan.
Erdogan said the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey aims to promote Turkish culture abroad by setting similar exhibition centers in various countries.
Japanese Princess Akiko of Mikasa, who accompanied Erdogan, said hosting Turkish historical artifacts was a source of happiness to her.
Japanese princess said she wished the people of Japan and Turkey knew each other better and developed better relations.
The exhibition is called “Treasures and Tradition of "Lale" [Tulip] in Ottoman Empire'' and it has a collection of 170 treasures from the Ottoman Empire -- borrowed from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul -- that mirrors the rich culture of one of the longest standing empires in world history.