ANKARA (CIHAN) - The Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry took action to protect the cultural heritage of Turkey in foreign countries. Foreign Affairs Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül stated; "I hope we restore more historical monuments of Turkey as we restored the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia."
The meeting discussing the protection of overseas Turkish monuments was held at the Strategic Research Center (SAM) which is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SAM chief Murat Bilhan, Turkish History Foundation Chairman Prof. Yusuf Halaçoðlu, academics and government officials attended the meeting headed by Abdullah Gül.
Gül, first demanded that the monuments in foreign places should be accounted for and restored. He declared that many of countries have good intentions for those monuments; however, the lack of resources and experts has left many monuments unmonitored. He pointed out that these works of art could be restored by the aid of charitable funds, the private sector and some international foundations. Gül noted that the Mostar Bridge's restoration is a good example for other monuments.
Turkey's cultural heritage exists in about twenty different countries including Bosnia, Greece, Romania, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia , Kosovo, Tunisia, and the Ukraine.