Turkey is in favor of establishing a Turkish cultural center in St. Petersburg, Abdurrahman Aliy, Director of the Yunus Emre Institute (Turkish Cultural Center) said.
"We plan to open a Turkish cultural center in St. Petersburg and then focus on collaborating with universities and philology departments in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and working to strengthen partnerships with academic staff and promote the Turkish language," Abdurrahman Aliy said.
The Yunus Emre Institute has already notified the Russian authorities about its plans for the St. Petersburg center, the director added.
"After two days of meetings and consultations during our delegation’s visit, we believe that the Russian side is quite receptive to our proposals. While no specific timelines or guarantees have yet been decided upon, since our Russian partners need to coordinate details with the government and the foreign ministry, the overall impression appears positive to me," Abdurrahman Aliy said.
He emphasized Russia’s favorable stance toward the initiative for a Turkish cultural center in St. Petersburg and noted they had a meeting with head of Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation), TASS reported.
"We discussed the role that the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Ankara plays in promoting Russian culture in Turkey," Abdurrahman Aliy said.
