National Education Minister Celik Leaves For Moscow

ISTANBUL - National Education Minister Huseyin Celik left for Moscow on Wednesday as official guest of his Russian counterpart.
Addressing journalists at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport prior to his departure, Celik said that activities of the last two years under a program between Turkey and the Russian Federation in education, science, culture, youth and sports would be scrutinized.
''There have been good relations between the two countries for a long period of time. We consider Russia a significant neighbor of us. Also, Russian people have been ranked second among foreign tourists who prefer Turkey to spend their holidays in recent years. As a result, Russian language has been given more importance in our country. In the same way, Russian people show great interest in Turkish language. All these issues will be taken up during my meetings with Russian officials,'' he said.
Parliamentary National Education Commission Chairman Tayyar Altikulac is accompanying Celik.
They are expected to return to Turkey on Saturday.
(UK-AY) 19.11.2003