Russian Academic Praises Volunteers' Efforts for Dialogue
Speaking at a conference titled "Tolerance and Discrimination in Education," held on Friday in the southern city of Antalya by the Dialogue Eurasia (DA) Platform, Ribakov, the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences Oriental Studies Institute and term president of the DA platform, said the work of educational volunteers around the world inspired by Fethullah Gülen — a well respected Turkish scholar — greatly contribute to the establishment of dialogue in the world, including Russia.
"I thank our Turkish colleagues. Their dynamism and their openness to novelties contributed a lot to our platform. We should gather around dialogue," he said. Noting that there has been a change in Turkey in people’s attitudes toward foreigners in years, Ribakov said educational activities carried out by the Gülen movement played a role in this change. "If we have a look at the history books of our day, we will see that hatred toward neighboring countries is gradually vanishing.
Students have started to understand and like their neighbors," he said, stressing that apart from private entrepreneurs, the Turkish government has also taken significant steps in education. Ribakov stated that if we look at education from Gülen's perspective, it would be seen that many promising projects are being conducted by volunteers all around the world. Noting that the problem of education is a problem of all humanity, Ribakov said this is a rather difficult field, adding that we need to work hard to improve our relations with neighboring countries. Efforts to establish dialogue are crucial for humanity and the future of our children, Ribakov said, noting that the DA platform will enlarge further with the participation of many other countries, including India and China.
Turkish Education Minister Hüseyin Çelik also delivered a speech at the conference. "The greatest element that ties countries and cultures is not railways, highways or airways, but bridges between hearts. This bridge is built through dialogue," Çelik said, adding that differences are a source of richness for cultures. "Everyone is born different. No one is like another. Our fingerprints and DNA are different. These differences should never be a reason for conflict," he stated. Çelik noted that differences within societies should be considered the different colors of a rainbow.
Çelik also praised Turkish businessmen who have opened schools in various countries around the world, aiming to strengthen Turkey's ties with these counties. "Many men have gone to countries throughout the world and built schools there. These schools have become the strongest bridges between cultures," he added.
Stating that there is significant trade potential between Russia and Turkey and that a strong bridge of friendship has been built, Çelik said dialogue does not mean abandoning your own beliefs and customs. "Turkey has ties with Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Its link with the Turkic world does not mean that it will turn its back on the Islamic world or Eurasia. These are not alternatives to each other. They all form an identity," he said. Noting that humanity has advanced considerably since the time when slavery, wars and violence dominated the world, he said further advancement will be achieved through dialogue and that he is hopeful about the future. "We cannot totally eliminate hatred from the world, but we can divert it. We should hate injustice toward people and fraud," he said.
Stating that the main purpose of education is to develop good traits in people, Çelik said education can provide us with the ability to respect each other by getting to know each other while preserving our differences. "We cannot turn our back to any country whose religion or regime we dislike. We should accept them as they are and try to find a way to dialogue," he added.
Harun Tokak, the president of the Writers and Journalists' Foundation (GYV), noted that there are monuments to war heroes in the most well-known squares in countries and said: "They are our heroes, of course. But why do peacetime heroes not adorn the squares? We should attach as much importance to peacetime heroes as war heroes." He also added, "The DA platform should drive us to make peace with the Armenians as well," he added.
Rybakov co-founded and presides over the DA platform, an NGO that has brought together the foremost intellectuals in Eurasia for conferences and symposiums since 1998. The platform describes its aim as to "establish dialogue among the people of Eurasia and contribute to their mutual understanding and living together in peace." The platform is currently holding its latest symposium focusing on the topic of "Tolerance and Discrimination in Education." in Antalya between Nov. 14-16. The event brings together 160 intellectuals from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine to discuss topics such as the conceptual analysis of tolerance and the understanding of the concept of tolerance in different cultures, education on tolerance in school curriculums in Eurasian countries and education to combat discrimination and dangerous habits in education. The platform is active in many Eurasian cities.
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