THE EXHIBITION ON THE ROYAL DECREES OF THE OTTOMAN SULTANS HAS LAUNCHED IN SARAJEVO

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the participation of Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, inaugurated the Exhibition on the Royal Decrees of the Ottoman Sultans that is displayed by Yunus Emre Institute in Sarajevo.

In his speech he delivered at the opening of the exhibition, Prime Minister Erdogan stated that Yunus Emre Instıtute, by rapidly becoming widespread throughout the world, would contribute to the expansion of Turkish language and to the introduction of documents of Turkish history. He said that just like the Goethe Institute and Cervantes Institute, Yunus Emre Institue would also earn a reputation.

In his speech he delivered, Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that he was making that speech on account of the ailment of the Minister of Tourism and Culture Ertugrul Gunay and he noted that it was a kind of exhibition that everyone would be proud of and that unveiled some values which we were late to be remember.

Bagis said: "Here, we will once more come across our real history and the royal decrees that will lay down our history. I would like to read one of these. Fatih Sultan Mehmet, in his royal decree dated 1478, orders these:

‘I, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Khan, declare to the world that, the Bosnian priests and the churches and everyone from all religions and nations who are given this royal decree are under my auspices. And I command that nobody, neither gentry from the monarchy, nor the viziers, servants, the citizens of the empire shall restrict the freedoms of these people and give harm to them.'

This royal decree is very meaningful but what makes it the most meaningful is the fact that it was issued 330 years before the Constitution of USA, 311 years before the French Revolution, 470 years before the UN Declaration of Human Rights and 523 years before the European Council Convention on the Protection of National Minority Rights. As the sons of a civilization originating from such a rich history and a tradition of tolerance, we are also carrying heavy loads on our shoulders."

Prime Minister Erdogan, Minister Bagis and the Minister of Environment and Forestry Veysel Eroglu inaugurated the exhibition by cutting the ribbon.

Within the framework of his visit to Sarajevo, Prime Minister Erdogan paid a visit to the tomb of Aliya Izzet Begovic, the founder of the Republic of Bosnia Herzegovina. Prime Minister Erdogan was accompanied by Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis and the Minister of Environment and Forestry Veysel Eroglu.

Source: AA