After the 24-hour broadcast in the Kurdish dialect of Kırmançi, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation TRT now also launched an Arabic channel.
In the opening ceremony held in the Dolmabahçe Palace on the European banks of the Bosporus, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized the common roots of Arabic and Turkish.
The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç. Erodğan highlighted the close connections between Turks and Arabs, "We share the same past. You should know that we have a common future as well".
Erdoğan: Even though we look to the west...
"We are members of a common history, a common culture, and most important members of a common culture. Our minds and hearts have grown and developed from joint sources. (...)"
"Nobody had enough power to separate us as brothers, to create discontent or conflict, and nobody will be powerful enough to do so in the future. Even though Turkey is looking to the west, by no means does that mean we are turning our backs to the east".
Erdoğan said that he called on his Arab brothers and sisters just like they were called to Beirut by the splendid poems of outstanding poet Nizar Tevfik Kabbani and the beautiful voices of Feyruz and Macice El Rumi.
300 million Arabic viewers
Arınç emphasized that the channel was designed as a family channel and has been sensibly worked on for almost a year. He said that the channel can be watched by more than 3 million viewers via three different satellites.
The Deputy Prime Minister indicated that he travelled many countries in the Middle East during the past months and that TRT's Arabic channel was expected with great anticipation. (EÖ/VK)
