International academic meeting held in Damascus on Turkey-Syria relations

An international meeting titled “Turkey-Syria Relations from Past to Present: Language, Literature, History, Science, and Philosophy from Damascus to Ankara” was held at Damascus University’s Faculty of Letters. The event was organized under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Writers Union (TYB), and Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University.

Attendees included Ankara Social Sciences University (ASBÜ) Rector Prof. Dr. Musa Kazım Arıcan, Sarp Erzi of the Turkish Embassy in Damascus, and Mehmet İhsan Özdemir from the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications. During the event, Rector Arıcan emphasized the importance of strengthening academic, scientific, and cultural ties to overcome the divisive effects of imperial policies and artificial borders.

Arıcan highlighted the deep historical connections between Anatolia and Bilad al-Sham, citing historical figures such as Saladin, Sultan Baybars, and Suleiman the Magnificent. He noted that relationships should extend beyond diplomatic and political contacts to include the preservation of shared language, culture, and civilization through concrete academic cooperation.