The rift between Russia and Turkey has frozen the entrance of the teaching of Kayum Nasyri into Stambul
On 5 May, at the Turkish Marmara University there was held a round-table meeting devoted to a Tatar educator and scientist Kayum Nasyri. It is noteworthy that the event was not attended by a single guest from Tatarstan — Turkish experts exclusively. The official account of the Consulate General of Turkey in Kazan, announcing the events, stated with regret that there were plans to open a center of Kayum Nasyri. Realnoe Vremya has found out that plans for the opening of the center have been given up, and the reason for the freezing of the project is the disrupted Russian-Turkish relations.
'We do not link it to the political events…'
In the Center of Turkic studies at the Marmara University (Turkey, Istanbul) there was held a round-table meeting dedicated to the famous Tatar enlightener Kayum Nasyri. This information was published on social networks by the Consulate General of Turkey in Kazan.
As Realnoe Vremya has found out, there was not a single guest from Tatarstan among the speakers, the Turkish specialists only. The moderator was the famous Turkish scholar of Tatar origin Nadir Devlet. Among the speakers was Akhmet Kanlydere (the report 'The revolution, which Kayum Nasyri has made in the social thought'), Leysan Şahin ('The Life and the works of Kayum Nasyri'), the Professor Gulshen Seyhan Alyşyk ('The work 'Lehche and Tatari' by Kayum Nasyri') and Erdal Şahin ('The linguistics of Kayum Nasyri').
It would be logical to explain the situation with a complete absence of Russian guests at the Turkish event by the deteriorated relations between Russia and Turkey, however, the Consul General of Turkey in Kazan Turhan Dilmaç holds a different view.
'We do not link it to the political events — the decision on whom to invite to the event are taken by the organizer — the University of Marmara in which there is the Center of Turkic studies. In our view, there are no political factors here,' we were explained at the Consulate. 'We are not related to this event, therefore, we do not have the detailed information about whether someone from RT was invited or not, but it seems that there is no anyone from Tatarstan. However, in the list of the speakers there are many Tatars.'
The rapid expansion of the network of centres of Kayum Nasyri
In the light of today's events, it would be impossible not to recall the planned for 2015 opening of the center of Institute of Kayum Nasyri at the Marmara University.
It became known about the initiative of the government of Tatarstan and the Kazan Federal University in 2014 for the first time. This year has been marked by the launch of two centres — in Moscow on the basis of school №1186 and in Astana on the basis of the L.N. Gumilyov University. Last year there were opened even three centers — in Bishkek, Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg. In two latter cities the branches of the Institute were opened on the basis of representative establishment of RT.
As the head of the Kazan Institute of Kayum Nasyri Rasim Khusnutdinov explained to Realnoe Vremya, these centers are being opened in order Tatar diasporas have the opportunity to study their mother tongue, and it is not only about Tatar but also Russian language too.
'The centers are in demand because many Tatars live in these places. For example, in Astana, they are several thousand. When we open a centre, we give an ad, and 30-40 people are recruited at once. The centres in Yekaterinburg have 50 people each. There (in Yekaterinburg) before, by the way, Sunday school used to work, and now there is our center that is more professional, after the graduation of which they give certificates,' commented Khusnutdinov.
Earlier it was reported that the price of the entire programme is 25 million rubles, and, according to our interlocutor, it's not such a big cost, as, for example, at the Confucius Center.
'Funding is required for the equipment – it is a computer and a system of video conference call, for books, but books are not costly, and also for a methodist – for one teacher in the centre. We have no costs for rent, electricity, or gas — it is provided in the mutual agreement, according to which we are given an audience, and we conduct lessons. So the work goes. There is a programme on the preservation of the languages of RT until 2020, this project is funded by it,' said Rasim Khusnutdinov.
How the relationship with Turkey has frozen the start of the Tatarstan project
If there is a small chance that the absence of Tatarstan representatives at today's round-table meeting is not the result of discord in Russian-Turkish relations, then the long-awaited opening of the center of the Institute Kayum Nasyri in Turkey has been frozen for exactly this reason. This information was confirmed by the Consulate General of Turkey in Kazan as well as by the Kazan Institute of Kayum Nasyri.
'Last year we worked smoothly, but, unfortunately, the soured relations with Turkey didn't allow us opening a centre on the basis of the University of Marmara. The project was terminated on 24 November,' announced Khusnutdinov. 'We started to work in the following way: we conducted negotiations, we wanted to sign an agreement. Then they would allocate an audience for the opening of the center, then we were to send equipment and books, but that didn't happen.'
Despite the problems with opening of the centre in Turkey, the network will continue its expansion. According to Khusnutdinov, this year it is planned to open two centres – one of them will be in one of the former CIS countries and the second — in Near abroad, however, it is still unknown in which country exactly.