The “The Pinnacle of Azerbaijani Literature: Anar” panel, collaboratively organized by Gazi
University TÖMER (Center for Teaching Turkish and Foreign Languages), the Department of
Turkish Language Education at the Faculty of Education, and our university’s Career Planning
Application and Research Center, was held with broad participation.
The event, held in the Mimar Kemaleddin Hall of Rectorate Building, was attended by our Rector,
Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal; Anar, President of the Azerbaijan Writer’s Union; Prof Dr. Osman Mert,
President of Turkish Language Association; Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Necdet Hayta; General Secretary
Mustafa Afşar; Prof. Dr. Mustafa Balcı, Secretary General of the Interuniversity Board of Türkiye
(ÜAK); Prof, Dr. Nezir Temur, Director of TÖMER; Assistant Secretaries Dr. Sena Aydoğan and
Ayhan Selçuk; panelists, deans, department heads, academics, guests and students.
The program, which began with a moment of silence and the singing the national anthems, featured
an opening address by our University’s Rector, Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal. Expressing his pride in hosting
one of the most important writers of the Turkic world at Gazi University, Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal also
mentioned that, “His works are read with great interest not only in Azerbaijan but throughout all
regions where Turkish is spoken.”
Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal concluded his remarks as follows: “Anar’s literary contributions
and his impact on Turkish culture will be discussed at length during this panel. I wish Anar who has
said ‘Türkiye is my second homeland’ a long and prolific literary career. I also extend a heartfelt
welcome to our guests participating to this program, particularly those who have come from
Azerbaijan, and I respectfully greet al our guests who are witnessing this historic gathering.”
Speaking at the opening, TÖMER Director Prof. Dr. Nezir Temur noted that writers and poets are
the linguistic and the reveal a language’s expressive power. Noting that writers and academics are
responsible for passing on the linguistic legacy to future generations, TÖMER Director Prof. Dr.
Nezir Temur concluded his remarks by thanking everyone who contributed to the organization of
the event, particularly our Rector, Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal.
Following the opening remarks, a panel discussion was held featuring Azer Turan, editor-in-chief of
the Azerbaijan Literature Newspaper; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pervin Nuraliyeva, faculty member at
Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University; İmdat Avşar, editor-in-chief of Türk Edebiyatı Magazine;
and Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kurt, faculty member at the Department of Turkish Language and Literature
Education at Gazi Faculty of Education.
Following the panel, President of the Azerbaijan Writer’s Union, Anar, delivered a speech titled
“My Journey as a Writer.” In his speech, Anar described how he began his writing career and shared
his experiences. He concluded by thanking those who contributed to organizing the event.
The program concluded with a question&answer session.