Egypt's Tahrir youths ask Gül for Turkish university

05 June 2011, Sunday
SEDAT DENLI, İSTANBUL

Representatives of youth groups who took part in the Jan. 25 revolt in Egypt have asked President Abdullah Gül for the establishment of a Turkish university in their country, saying that such a university would serve as a symbol of the rich Turkish culture.

President Gül met with the group from the “January 25 Tahrir Youth Leaders” on Saturday at the presidential Tarabya Kiosk residence, where he told them that there is no place for authoritarianism in the Islamic world. He also urged rulers of Arab countries to make reforms for more freedom.

“Sadly, the battle [for democracy] continues in some countries today. I would like to remind rulers in Muslim Arab countries of the necessity of being realistic, of perceiving the world better and of seeing that there is already no place for authoritarian regimes in the Islamic world,” Gül told the group.

Abdallah Helmy, a founding member of the Revolutionary Youth Union, also delivered a speech on behalf of the visiting group and underlined the presence of strong ties between his country and Egypt. Joining forces and cooperating, these two countries can change many things in the region, Helmy said, while urging Gül to further bolster relations between the people of Egypt and Turkey.

“We request from you an initiative for the establishment of a Turkish university in Egypt. Let this university constitute the symbol of the rich Turkish culture in this way.” Helmy said. “At the same time, I'm calling for the opening of either a department of al-Azhar University [on a campus to be opened] in Turkey,” he said, referring to the centuries-old prestigious university based in Cairo.

The time is ripe for building a strategic partnership between Egypt and Turkey, Helmy argued, stating that it is now time to take steps for the future of the people of the two countries.

In his speech, Gül, meanwhile, stressed that governments which do not allow for full freedom in their countries must lead these kinds of revolutions and reforms. He said such governments will eventually be forced to adopt reforms in the face of strong public resistance against them. Citing bloodshed and casualties in these countries, he said these incidents “indeed deeply sadden us.”

The president said that, in order to end this violence as soon as possible, rulers must first respect their own people and take steps in line with the demands of the people, so their countries come out of this process stronger.

“Everyone is aware that I am speaking about countries such as Syria and Libya,” Gül said, noting that Turkey is closely monitoring developments in Egypt. He stated that Turkish-Egyptian relations will continue to be strong and the two countries will always benefit from each other's experience.

“There will be a multi-party system in Egypt from now on and whoever the nation wants will rule the country,” Gül said. He added that all nations had overcome their fears and were working hard to be ruled by robust and respected administrations.

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-246310-egypts-tahrir-youths-ask-gul-for-turkish-university.html.