European University of Lefke (EUL) Students’ Dean Office and Ötüken Idea and Art Club organized a conference on “Turkish Republics in the 25th Year of Independency”. Member of Hacettepe University Faculty of Atatürk Principles and Revolution History Institute Prof. Dr. Mehmet Derviş Kılınçkaya has attended as a speaker to the conference.

The conference which started with moment of silence for the struggling leaders and martyrs for the Turkish Republics and the reading of the National Anthem, continued with a video presentation titled “Turkish Republics in the 25th Year of Independency” prepared by Levent Duranlı, Faculty of Communication Sciences Faculty at EUL.

Kılınçkaya: The dimension of the knowledge distinguishes an era from the other 

Kılınçkaya stated that the nations kept the cultures alive, he stated that the Turks spread from Central Asia to Europe and Africa, and that the Turkish culture enabled a bridge between the past and the future. Kılınçkaya stressed that his knowledge is not only derived from the books but more from the observations he made during his explorations of these geographies as a historian.

Kılınçkaya underlined that the most important element which distinguishes an era from the other is the dimension of the knowledge, as well as the developments which generates during the production and utilization of the knowledge. Kılınçkaya also stated that, producing new knowledge has been postponed since the 16th century. Recalling that the Ottoman State had made innovations during the 18th century but only to fall apart in 19th century, Kılınçkaya stated that “If you have no independent state, it is not impossible to proceed your culture; only with great sacrifices and distress”.

Kılınçkaya talked about the political and cultural changes of Turkish republics including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, while poetries were read in between the speeches and answered the questions of the students. At the end of the conference, Burak Tunç- the president of Ötüken Idea and Art Club, presented Kılınçkaya with a certificate of appreciation.