Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, in his speech at the “21 December Turkish Education Day” program in North Macedonia, said, “Relations between the Balkan geography and Turkey are not just the official relations of different countries. The main axis of the relationship between the Balkan countries and Turkey is the relationship of brotherhood and friendship between peoples.” .
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, continues his contacts in North Macedonia. Kurtulmuş visited the International Maarif School in Tetovo. Kurtulmuş met with students and teachers and received information about the school’s activities from the authorities. Kurtulmuş, who also participated in the “21 December Turkish Education Day” program held at the school, expressed his satisfaction to be under the same roof with the students and his wish to open Maarif Schools in cities other than Skopje and Tetovo. Reminding that Turkey, as Turkey, stood at an equal distance from all Balkan nations during the process of the Balkan countries gaining their independence, and that they thought it was the best way for all of them to determine their own future in peace, tranquility and stability, and supported this direction, Kurtulmuş said, “The relations between the Balkan geography and Turkey are just the official relations of different countries.” The main axis of the relationship between the Balkan countries and Turkey is the relationship of brotherhood and friendship between the peoples of the Balkan countries, with members of every different race and culture in almost every corner of the Balkan geography. “There are ancient bridges of friendship and heart coming from history,” he said.
Stating that great progress has been made in bilateral relations over time, Kurtulmuş stated that Turkey has carried out studies with its cultural diplomacy institutions to strengthen relations with the Balkan people almost everywhere in the Balkans. Stating that social development is supported by the projects implemented by TIKA, Maarif Foundation, Yunus Emre Institute, Diyanet Foundation, General Directorate of Foundations in the Balkans, especially in North Macedonia, Kurtulmuş said, “Turkey is not only a neighbor, but also a country that embraces the same common history, comes from the same common culture, We hope that it has mobilized great opportunities for the strengthening of our friends and brothers with whom we have lived together for centuries in this geography, and that we will continue to strengthen these relations from now on. “May we continue to do so,” he said.
Stating that we have entered the period of establishing a multi-polar, multi-cultural and multi-centered world, and that the difficulties experienced are a harbinger of this, Kurtulmuş emphasized that Türkiye will be one of the countries that will shine in the new world balance. Stating that Turkey’s strengthening and growth will mean the strengthening of the Balkan and Middle Eastern countries, reducing east-west tensions and the world moving towards peace and well-being, Kurtulmuş said that we will move forward together in this context. Stating that one of the most important guarantees of the future is common cultural wealth, Kurtulmuş stated that the “Ottoman peace order” in the Balkans is not just a historical story, and that people with all their sects, ethnic structures and cultural differences live together in the Balkans. TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş said, “There has never been a religious, sectarian or ethnic fight here over the centuries. Because everyone was able to live in honor and peace by revealing their differences and distinctions within the Ottoman nation system. We are not talking about a story, we are talking about historical reality. This historical fact can still be implemented today. The first condition for this is for people to respect each other, to understand that human beings are human not only with their rights, but also with their dignity, and that every human being is above all else, above all human relations. He is a member of the human family, a member of our extended human family. When viewed from this perspective, as the children and grandchildren of a nation, civilization and heritage that has ensured peace, tranquility and coexistence among people throughout history, we believe that this is possible today, and we strive to make this happen. “Uncovering our footprints in the Balkans and reinterpreting our past common history here today and transferring it to future generations is one of our mutually most important duties,” he said.
“Man does not only speak with his tongue, he speaks with his heart”
Stating that the support and services to be provided in all areas of culture are important and above all appreciation, Kurtulmuş stated that the most important element in this is “language”. Pointing out that language in Turkish means “human ability that enables speech” and “heart”, Kurtulmuş said, “Man does not only speak with his tongue, he speaks with his heart. Turkish has been used for centuries since Ahmet Yesevi, extending to the Balkans and from there to Europe.” In this geography, we were taught the ability to speak wholeheartedly through Turkish, by Hoca Ahmet Yesevi, Yunus Emre, “What Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli all told us in their pure, clear Turkish is their advice to not break anyone’s heart, to break anyone’s heart,” he said.
Reminding the saying “Do not break anyone’s heart, that evil eye is divine”, Kurtulmuş emphasized that the place where God looks is the human heart. Stating that they are a nation that has managed to speak with the language of the heart and reflected this in their behavior, Kurtulmuş said, “Hopefully, with the spread of Turkish, this tremendous cultural accumulation of ours, which emerged as the language of the heart, will be adopted, assimilated, understood and passed on to the next generations by very large masses.” . – TEMOTOMOLO
