A certificate ceremony was held on 5 August 2021 at the Republic of Turkey's Embassy in Mogadishu residence for the trainees who were successful after the face-to-face Turkish courses organized by Mogadishu Yunus Emre Institute in Somalia in the first half of 2021. Candidates who participated in the Turkish Proficiency Exam held on May 29, 2021 in Mogadishu and were successful also received their certificates at the ceremony. The trainees received their certificates from Ambassador of Turkey in Mogadishu Mehmet Yılmaz, Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Somalia (FRS) Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, and Minister for the Promotion of Women and Human Rights of the FRS Hanifa Mohamed Ibrahim.

In his address to the guests, Ambassador Mehmet Yılmaz praised the abilities of Somalians in learning foreign languages. Pointing out that learning and teaching a foreign language helps to establish positive ties between people and cultures, Yılmaz talked about the successful works of Yunus Emre Institute in teaching Turkish and promoting Turkish culture in many countries of the world.

"TURKISH: THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE”

Minister of Justice of the FRS Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, a graduate of Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences, stated that Turkey and the Turkish people hold a special place in the hearts of Somalians in his speeches which he gave in two languages. Mentioning that Turkish is a language of science and culture, Minister Nuradvised Somalian youth to continue learning Turkish in order to have a better education opportunity.

SOMALIAN MINISTER TO LEARN TURKISH

Hanifa Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister for the Promotion of Women's and Human Rights of the FRS, expressed her wishes and hopes for the further development of cultural relations between the two countries in her speech, which was translated consecutively from Somalian to Turkish by a trainee, who was awarded the Turkish language certificate. Joking with the guests that they were the only people in the hall who did not speak Turkish, Minister Ibrahim stated that she wanted to learn Turkish but could not find time for it due to the intensity of their work. Following their speeches, a meeting was held to provide private Turkish lessons for them in the coming days.

After the presentation of certificates and gifts, the trainees of the institute had the opportunity to chat with Ambassador Yılmaz, Somalian Ministers, and representatives of Turkish institutions operating in Mogadishu, accompanied by a catering service consisting of delicacies from Turkish and Somalian cuisine.

MOGADISHU YEI WILL REACH ALL PARTS OF SOMALIA

Mogadishu Yunus Emre Institute has taught Turkish to a total of 1,650 people in courses inside and outside the Institute since 2017, when it started its activities. The Institute's efforts to teach Turkish and promote Turkish culture in Somalia are planned to continue increasingly in the coming days. The Institute is in close contact with local public institutions and non-governmental organizations that provide free education on teaching Turkish to disadvantaged groups, especially orphans, in Mogadishu. Thus, the Institute aims to make Turkish and Turkey accessible to all people of Somalian society.