Ateneo welcomes Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines

On 22 February, Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines H E Niyazi Evren Akyol visited Ateneo de Manila University for a courtesy call with Fr Bobby Yap SJ.

His Excellency was accompanied by Ms Ceren Nur Coskun, Third Secretary with the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye to the Philippines. Meanwhile, Ms Karen Sunico, Director of the Office of International Relations, accompanied Fr Bobby.

Ambassador Akyol and Fr Bobby discussed potential points of cooperation between the University and its counterparts in Türkiye, such as Marmara University. They talked about how this could be done through different initiatives and activities, such as the Erasmus Programme, as well as direct coordination between universities in both countries.

In addition, Fr Bobby also expressed his sympathies in regard to the recent Kahramanmaraş earthquake that struck southern Türkiye. In response, Ambassador Akyol expressed his gratitude, noting that the contingent sent by the Philippines helped save the lives of at least 10 people.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Fr Bobby and Ms Sunico presented Ambassador Akyol with a small gift.