Traditional International Friendship Day in Hacettepe

"International Friendship Day", which is celebrated as an open-air event to honor international students every May and was held for the 8th time this year, was held at the Beytepe Campus Ataturk Statue Square.

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Algeria, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the State of Libya and Yunus Emre Institute are participants. the event in which he took part; Our university administrators, academic and administrative staff and students also accompanied us.

Our Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran, who made the opening speech at the event, started his speech by condemning Israeli oppression. As a university, they condemn the massacres in Palestine, Gaza and Rafah; Stating that they are with the Palestinian people and Palestinian students, he wished that the war in Ukraine would end and Ukrainian students would be in peace and prosperity.

Prof. Dr. Güran continued his speech as follows:
“Hacettepe University's internationalization policy aims to eliminate world borders in the academic field, accessibility, universal inclusion and sustainability; It adopts an approach that considers ethical values. We make intense efforts to ensure that our internationalization strategy is adopted and internalized in all academic and administrative units of our university. Additionally, as a higher education institution, we attach importance to the development of our education, research and social contribution activities in cooperation on an international scale. This event, which took place with the contributions of international students studying at our university, embassies and other students, was organized by each country's promotion in the sections reserved for them; It is a day-long feast with cultural and folklore examples, food offerings, local music and dance performances. The purpose of this event, which takes place every year with the participation of embassy members from approximately 45 different countries; To reveal the international diversity of our university, to enable students to get to know each other's cultures and get closer, and to have an enjoyable day that will strengthen friendship between nations and countries. I hope that International Friendship Day will lead to the establishment of new friendships, strengthening of existing ties and increase of international cooperation for our university.”

Many students from different countries showcase their culture; The event, where they introduced their country with their local clothes, songs, dances and food, continued throughout the day.