QatarDebate holds first Hagia Sophia talks meeting in Istanbul

Qatar Foundation (QF)'s QatarDebate Centre held Sunday the first meeting of Hagia Sophia Talks, in co-operation with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University in Istanbul.Held under the slogan 'language and culture in Islamic civilisation', the event brought together diplomats, representatives of official and scientific institutions and NGOs in Istanbul, and a group of prominent academics.Hagia Sophia Talks aims to promote intellectual dialogues, exchange different cultures, highlight joint efforts between Turkiye and the Arab world in education and cultural exchange, and activate QatarDebate's role in launching initiatives and programmes with partners from around the world.The meeting saw welcoming speeches showcasing Turkiye's efforts in teaching Arabic and spreading the culture of Arabic debating. There was also a presentation on the language and culture in the Islamic civilisation that showed the importance of promoting Arabic and Turkish as languages for learning and debating in Turkiye's universities.The second meeting of the talks will gather a group of Arab and Turkish journalists from all Turkiye-based Arabic and Turkish media outlets as well as Arabic debating academics.