TURKISTAN, March 21 (A.A) - Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said on Thursday that Nevruz was a means of national unity.
Bahceli who continues his contacts in Kazakhstan together with State Minister Resat Dogru, Health Minister Osman Durmus, Industry and Trade Minister Ahmet Kenan Tanrikulu and some bureaucrats attended the Nevruz celebrations in Turkistan city.
Bahceli said that he was pleased with being in Turkistan during the Nevruz festival which had a special meaning for the Turkish world.
Noting that material and moral factors were the basic values which united the nations, Bahceli said that those values constituted social structure of the nations.
Stressing that the Turkish nation had reached these days by protecting its values, Bahceli said that Turkish nation brought a unique cultural heritage and riches to today. Noting that Turkish nation brought its culture to the places they moved, Bahceli said that this culture which the Turkish nations brought with special experience, belief and mentality contacted other cultures but this contact had never changed the basic structure and spirit of the Turkish culture.
Noting that the Nevruz Festival was the symbol of unity, solidarity, tolerance, love, respect and peace, Bahceli said that Nevruz which was a spring feast celebrated by the Turkish world societies was the national holiday and festival of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
Later, Bahceli visited the Ahmet Yesevi University to attend a ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Bahceli said that cooperation between Turkey and Kazakhstan in fields of education and culture had developed rapidly and that the Ahmet Yesevi University was the most concrete display of this brotherhood and friendly ties.
Later, Ahmet Yesevi University Rector Prof. Dr. Orazali Sabden docerated Bahceli with the Honorary Doctorate of the university.
Bahceli attended on Thursday a dinner hosted in his honor by South Kazakhstan Province Governor Berdibek Saparbayev in Turkistan city of Kazakhstan.
Speaking at the dinner, Bahceli said that he was proud of celebrating the Nevruz Festival of the whole Turkish world in the holy city before Hodja Ahmet Yesevi's spiritual presence.
Noting that diplomatic dialogue between Turkey and Kazakhstan had started ten years ago, Bahceli said that a number of mutual high level visits had been paid during this period.
Bahceli said that those visits had strengthened cultural, economic and social relations between the two countries.