Turkey Studies Chair opened at Complutense University of Madrid in Spain

Turkey and Spain established the ‘Chair of Turkish Studies’ at the Complutense University of Madrid. The opening ceremony held at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, where the Turkey Studies Chair will carry out its activities, was attended by Ambassador Egemen Bağış, Turkish Ambassador to Madrid Nüket Küçükel Ezberci, Nacho Sanchez Amor, Member of the European Parliament and Permanent Representative of the EP to Turkey, Maria Esther del Campo Garcia, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the European Parliament and ICC.

Delivering a speech in English and Spanish, Dr. Egemen Bağış said: "The most critical chapters in Turkey's accession process with the European Union are the 23rd and 24th chapters. But unfortunately, all the chapters related to political issues are currently blocked. You only tell us to “do your homework” without specifying the opening criteria. But first you should make it clear what we need to do so that we can make the necessary legal arrangements. You constantly emphasize Turkey's Muslim identity. However, Turkey was Muslim when it first applied, when it was granted candidate status and when it started negotiations. This has not changed. On the contrary, Turkey's ability to coexist its Muslim identity with the culture of democracy is a very important value that the European Union should actually embrace. As for the S-400, we bought this system because we need air defense, because our allies did not sell us an alternative. When other EU member states buy this system, you are silent, but when Turkey buys it, you criticize it heavily. This reveals a lack of sincerity," he said.

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'IT'S TIME FOR EUROPE TO TAKE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF FUTURE GENERATIONS'

Bağış said, "You are also targeting our President Erdoğan. However, Mr. Erdoğan is not a person who claims to be a leader by himself; he is a leader who has been elected many times since 2002 by the democratic will of the Turkish people. Mr. Erdoğan is as legitimate in Turkey as Mr. Sanchez is in Spain. It is time for Europe to make decisions on behalf of common values and future generations, not on the basis of national interests. We need to talk about long-term strategic vision, not short-term political calculations. That is why Turkey's EU membership is more important, more meaningful and more strategic than ever. At this point, we find Spain's support very valuable."

'THE ROSTRUM IS EXTREMELY MEANINGFUL IN TERMS OF SHOWING THE VALUE THEY ATTACH TO TURKEY'

Bağış said, "The establishment of a research chair for Turkey by Complutense University, one of the largest universities in Spain with roots dating back to the 13th century, is very meaningful in terms of understanding Turkey and showing the value they attach to it. This academic step of Spain, with which we have historical relations, with which our bilateral trade volume is close to 20 billion Euros, which shares similar perspectives with Turkey on many issues ranging from the Gaza issue to the future of the European Union, and which has a much more positive approach to our EU membership compared to other European countries, is also extremely valuable. "Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom I am honored to represent here today, and our Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hakan Fidan have also asked me to convey their thanks to this distinguished university for establishing this important chair. There is no doubt that this initiative will contribute to the excellent relations between our two great countries. We look forward with great excitement to the contributions and perspectives that the academic work to be carried out by the students of this newly established chair will bring, especially to Turkey-EU relations and Turkish-Spanish relations."

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'THE CHAIR WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE OPENING OF SPANISH COMPANIES TO THE TURKIC WORLD'

Emphasizing that in addition to programs such as Erasmus and Jean Monnet, this chair will provide an important platform for Turkish students to have more contact with Spain, to get to know a different culture, language and perspective by studying here, and for Spanish students to come to Turkey and understand our culture, language and view of the world, Bağış said: "University officials shared with us that they have also started a new academic study on tourism, which is one of the common strengths of Turkey and Spain. In this framework, it is aimed to compare the experiences of both countries in the field of tourism and to help students develop future-oriented projects in this field. The Chair will also contribute to the emergence of new ideas, projects and areas of cooperation between Turkey and Spain. Turkey is a bridge to the Turkic world and Spain is a bridge to Latin America. In this context, this chair will offer strategic opportunities in terms of opening Turkish companies to South America and Spanish companies to the Turkish world."

'WE HAVE A VERY WIDE AND DEEP NETWORK OF RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND SPAIN'

Ambassador of Turkey to Madrid Nüket Küçükel Ezberci said: "We have been in contact with the establishment of an academic chair on Turkey for a long time. Today we have achieved this goal, which is a source of great happiness for us. We have a very wide and deep network of relations between Turkey and Spain. Our political relations are excellent; our economic cooperation and mutual investments are increasing day by day. As you know, we had a very comprehensive summit last June during the official visit of our President, where 17 agreements were signed, 13 of them between states and 4 between our institutions. Within this dense network of cooperation, the academic field was a missing piece. Today, we have completed that gap. Complutense University is one of the oldest universities in Spain. We opened the Chair of Turkish Studies here today. We are also in direct contact with the Presidency of Higher Education Council. Cooperation will be established and agreements will be signed between Complutense and our well-established institutions such as Istanbul and Ankara Universities."

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'MORE THAN 40 THOUSAND MOBILIZATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES UNDER ERASMUS'

Speaking about the contributions of this development to young people, students and academics, Ezberci said, "First and foremost, there will be mutual exchange of knowledge and experience. Students will travel back and forth between the two countries more, academics will meet in joint projects. These projects will contribute not only to the relations between the two countries, but also to today's world, peace, stability and prosperity. Now, in addition to diplomacy, the academic world also has very important responsibilities. Because we need to be preparing plans B, C, even D and E in order to plan for the future. In the last 15 years, there have been over 40 thousand mobility between the two countries under the Erasmus program alone. The reports of the Directorate for EU Affairs also show that the rate of Turkey and Spain benefiting from EU projects together is quite high. We are now institutionalizing this already existing culture. Thus, we are building a sustainable structure that is not dependent on individuals."

Maria Esther del Campo Garcia, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at UCM, said, "We attach great importance to the Turkey Studies Chair. It is also very important as it is the first chair in our faculty. It will be of great help in the development of scientific and academic research between the two countries. However, it should be known that we are not starting from scratch. There are many Turkish students in Spain and at our university. We are taking steps to strengthen and develop existing collaborations. Everyone, all parties will benefit from this alliance."