Saturday, February 8, 2025
27 C
Brunei Town
More

    Books are our best friends, says envoy

    Lyna Mohamad

    “A book is a beautiful gift you can open again and again. Indeed, books are our best friends we can ever find and talk to! Reading simply increases the quality of life, opens up new horizons and windows and brings numerous benefits to our daily life, from concentration to motivation, with its inspiring nature.”

    This was said by Turkish Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Professor Dr Hamit Ersoy at the launch of Book Corner of Turkiye at the library of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) yesterday.

    “Libraries,” he added, “store the energy for imagination, inspiration and clear thinking, and these are the places where we want to be lost and find peace.”

    The ambassador congratulated UNISSA Rector Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal for his leadership in executing the university’s quality policy “to produce pious and credible leaders, who can contribute to the development of the ummah through academic excellence, research and community service”. The book corner is a display of cooperation in the field of education, training, arts, linguistics and culture between UNISSA and over 200 Turkish universities, said the ambassador.

    As an academic person who spent decades in libraries, the ambassador said he couldn’t find a better way to launch the cooperation between UNISSA and the Turkish Embassy in Brunei Darussalam than by bringing new horizons and inspirations hidden in those books. Some of the books came from the Turkish Coordination and Cooperation Agency (TİKA).

    Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali Rector Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal and Ambassador of Turkiye to Brunei Darussalam Professor Dr Hamit Ersoy in a group photo. PHOTOS: LYNA MOHAMAD
    Dr Haji Norarfan and Dr Hamit Ersoy during the launch of Book Corner of Turkiye at the library of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA)

    Turkiye, with 129 states and 80 private universities and a European Union (EU) compatible education system as well as numerous English language medium programmes, has become an important hub for international students.

    Efforts have been made to increase global collaborations through travel, employment, education and internship opportunities, and currently Turkiye is number eight in the world, enrolling currently over 300,000 international students from 190 countries including the Sultanate. The ambassador said both Turkiye and its embassy in the Sultanate are ready to facilitate exchange programmes with Brunei universities.

    He also noted that the visit by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to Turkiye last March and the agreements signed during this visit were testaments to the brotherly ties between the two countries. He added, “We are committed to follow the path paved by His Majesty and our President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who was re-elected last Sunday for another five year term and I am looking forward to working on new projects that could enhance the existing cooperation and strengthen our brotherly ties even further.”

    Meanwhile, Dr Haji Norarfan assured that the donation will be put to good, benefitting UNISSA students by expanding their knowledge on Turkiye.

    spot_img

    Related News

    spot_img