Selçuk University School of Foreign Languages organized a panel on "The Importance of Foreign Language in Diplomacy".

Deputy Rector of Selçuk University Prof. Dr. İlhan Çiftci, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Emrullah Eken and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tuğrul Polat, Secretary General Prof. Dr. Kamil Beşoluk, academic staff and students attended the panel held at Sultan Alparslan Cultural Center.

In his speech at the opening of the panel, Selçuk University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. İlhan Çiftci said that Turkey ranks 5th in the world with 248 foreign missions. Prof. Dr. Çiftci stated that he believed that the panel would make a great contribution to the participants and thanked those who contributed to the organization of the program. The panel was moderated by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kazım Ürün, Advisor to the Rector and Director of the School of Foreign Languages.

"TO BE A SOUGHT-AFTER PERSON, YOU NEED TO HAVE PRIVILEGES"

AK Party Ankara Deputy Chairman of the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission Prof. Dr. Emrullah İşler stated that young people are the future of Turkey. Explaining the importance of making the most efficient use of their student years, Prof. Dr. İşler said, "In the globalized world, there is no such problem as not being able to access information. Everything is at the tip of a button. Therefore, when it comes to diplomacy and language, I think that you have a lot of opportunities to learn languages, so these opportunities should be used well. Your areas of learning the language and using the language are very different, there are many opportunities. Therefore, you need to use this in the most efficient way. Especially if we are going to work in the field of diplomacy, English is a must. We can say that it is now your basic score. You need to add a second language on top of it. Arabic, Persian, Russian or other languages are a privilege for you. Dear young people, you need to have a privilege in any field. You need to have a privilege and a specialty in order to be a wanted person."

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yavuz Selim Kıran, who connected to the panel via video, stated that foreign language has a critical importance in diplomacy and that he welcomed the panel's topic. Stating that as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they aim to contribute to such studies and to train diplomats who are proficient in foreign languages, Kıran emphasized that Selçuk University has shown an important understanding and responsibility by organizing the panel.

"YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND NUANCES AND COMPLETE SENTENCES"

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Akif Kireçci, Member of the Security and Foreign Policies Board of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and Faculty Member at Ankara Social Sciences University, stated that he first learned Arabic during his education process and then improved himself in different languages. Emphasizing the necessity of spending time to learn foreign languages, Prof. Dr. Kireçci explained that diplomacy is a deep and broad field. Giving information about diplomacy and its processes in the Ottoman period, Prof. Dr. Kireçci said: "You have to know English, there is no other alternative. On the other hand, is English valid everywhere? No, it is not. It is very important in the world of science and Western diplomacy, but when you go to the Turkic republics, you stop there. Not everyone speaks English. Russian comes into play. Therefore, you need to develop specialization and prepare yourself according to the fields. In this sense, you have time during the education process to develop expertise. You have the opportunity to push yourself a little bit to learn a few languages. There are written diplomacy, oral diplomacy and diplomacy on the go. You sit at the table, there are files; they are opened and the discussion starts. Negotiations, fights, bickering and agreements over these files; all of these are reflected in our domestic politics from time to time. Competencies in these areas are very important. Also, if you are communicating through verbal language, there are very important issues such as understanding nuances, completing sentences, making sure that the other person understands you."