Turkish minister inaugurates cultural center in Moscow

By Emre Gurkan Abay

MOSCOW (AA) - Turkish culture and tourism minister on Wednesday inaugurated a new branch of a Turkey-based cultural institute in the Russian capital Moscow.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Numan Kurtulmus, the minister, said Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) is a tool for “cultural diplomacy”.

“Yunus Emre Institute operates as one of the most important elements of Turkey’s cultural diplomacy […] from Astana to Sarajevo, from Khartoum to Moscow,” Kurtulmus said.

He said the new branch of the institute will bring closer the people of Turkey and Russia.

“Thousands of our Russian friends will learn Turkish here,” the minister said, and added they will be “our cultural ambassadors in Russia.”

Yunus Emre Institute provides services abroad to people, who want to learn the Turkish language, culture, and art. One of its aims is to improve Turkey’s friendship with other countries and increase cultural exchanges.

Since it was established in 2009, the institute has taught Turkish to more than 99,000 people in 43 countries.

Named after the 13th-century poet Yunus Emre, the institute now has nearly 54 cultural centers around the world offering artistic, social and scientific programs.

Later in the day, Kurtulmus visited a mosque in Moscow which Turkey helped for its building and was inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2015.