An international conference on “Tolerance and Discrimination in Education” within the 8th General Assembly of the Dialogue Eurasia Platform in Antalya has started.
The conference was co-organized by the Turkey’s Ministry of Education and Dialogue Eurasia Russian National Committee, the platform’s chair, APA reports.
Welcoming the participants, chairman of the platform Rastislav Ribakov spoke about the way Eurasian peoples passed and work done during the Russian DA presidency and enlargement of the platform. He said sometimes the seeds of enmity were sown via the education. Ribakov said DA was trying to eliminate the discrimination and he believed that it would reach its goal.
Chairman of DA Azerbaijan National Committee, member of the Azerbaijani parliament Nizami Jafarov, speaking on behalf of the Azerbaijani delegation, said the education was an important factor for the fate of nations and peoples. The lawmaker said during the Soviet time the seeds of discrimination and enmity were sown between the peoples with same roots via the education. “The books of history of that time introduced alleged information about enmity between the Azerbaijani and Turkish peoples”.
Jafarov said recently they made proposals to publish common books of literature and history for the Turkic peoples. He said education programs of the Turkic peoples already had common topics, but it should be extended further.
He called on the Turkish scientists and writers to make the books suitable not only for Turkey, but for all Turkic world.
Founder and Chairman of the Dialogue Eurasia Platform Harun Tokak spoke about the DA activity and the way it passed. Tokak said DA has been working for almost 10 years and the subject of this meeting was chosen not accidentally. Tokak said DA proposed to ban the books seeding enmity between the peoples and emphasized the importance of establishing the researching centers relating the different countries and institutions making peoples to know each other closely. He especially underlined the establishing of Russian researching center in Turkey.
Tokak said monuments should be erected not only to the heroes of fight, but also to the heroes of peace.
Chairman of the Dialogue Eurasia said the organization should contribute to Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Turkish Minister of Education Huseyn Chelik spoke about the activity and targets of DA. He said education had a great influence on the globalization of the world. The minister said holding discussions to remove the items propagating enmity towards other countries from books on history, did not mean to distort the history or make people forget it.
“History is important for every nation. It is also important how the historical events are explained. We were taught at school that Turkey is surrounded by seas from three sides and by enemies in four sides. It has changed and now we say “Turkey is surrounded by neighbors”. It is important how history is taught to the youth,” he said.
The minister also underlined that a dialogue did not mean a nation’s separation from its language, religion, culture and history.
“On the contrary, a nation possessing all this easily reaches understanding with other nations and establish better relations, because those who respect themselves can respect the others,” he said.
Huseyn Chelik said Turkish schools abroad also contributed to the dialogue.
Head of Antalya municipality Menderes Turel, head of DA’s Georgian committee Giuli Alasaniya, Turkish representative of DA Naji Bostanji and committee chiefs in other countries also addressed the event.
It should be also noted that the Azerbaijan delegation participated at the conference consists of head of social political department of the Presidential Office Ali Hasanov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport Intigam Babayev, Chairman of National TV and Radio Council Nushirevan Maharramli, MPs Nizami Jafarov, Rabiyyat Aslanova, Azay Guliyev, Chairman of League of Democratic Journalists Yadigar Mammadli, chief editor of “Zaman- Azerbaijan” newspaper Enes Cansever, Director General of APA Vusala Mahirgizi, chief editor of “525-ci qazet” newspaper Rashad Majid, head of Chag Oyretim Anvar Ozaran, head director of Azerbaijan-Turkish Schools Adam Unal.