Islamabad:
The ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, Irfan Neziroglu, on Tuesday expressed his appreciation for the strong literary, cultural, social and political relations between Türkiye and Pakistan, emphasizing the need to deepen these ties.
He stressed the importance of renewed institutional associations, collaborative translation initiatives and the organization of joint literary and cultural events.
Such efforts, he said, will not only advance mutual litual interests and will celebrate shared cultural heroes, but also strengthen people’s connections and mutual understanding between the two nations.
The Turkish envoy delivered these words during a visit to the Academy of Letters of Pakistan (PAL), where he held a meeting with its president, Dr. Najeba Arif.
Also present were Dr. Halil Toker, a famous Turkish, translator and intellectual writer, and director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Pakistan, as well as the general director of Pal, Sultan Muhammad Nawaz Nasir.
The meeting focused on promoting literary and cultural ties between Pakistan and Türkiye. Dr. Najeba informed the ambassador to the initiatives of the Academy, including the promotion of literature in Pakistani languages, welfare programs for writers, their publication efforts and literary translation projects with international partners.
He also referred to the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the University of Istanbul and the Academy, and highlighted key publications that reflect the literary collaboration of long data.
In particular, in 1991, Pal published a book about the eminent Turkish poet Yunus Emre. In 2022, as part of its acclaimed Pakistani Adab Ke Me’Maar series, the Academy published Dr. Halil Toker: Shakhsiyat Aur Funn. That same year, Jadeed Turki Afsana also published a collection translated into URDU by Dr. Halil Toker and Samina Toker.
Dr. Najeba also shared that the Academy regularly presents translations of Turkish literary works in its quarterly magazine Adabiyat. Over the years, several Turkish writers have visited Pakistan and participated in international conferences organized by the Academy.
Dr. Najeba Arif also praised the contributions of Turkish scholars to Urdu literature, particularly recognizing the efforts of Dr. Halil Toker, Dr. assume Belen Özcan and Dr. Dawood Shahbaz. The meeting also included discussions on the launch of joint literary projects between PAL and the Yunus EMRE Institute in the coming months.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Najeba Arif presented a selection of academy’s publications to its excellence, Mr. Irfan Neziroglu and Dr. Halil Toker.
