MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. A Turkish cultural center will be established in St. Petersburg, Abdurrahman Aliy, Director of the Yunus Emre Institute (Turkish Cultural Center), told TASS.

"We plan to open a Turkish cultural center in St. Petersburg and then focus on collaborating with universities and philology departments in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and working to strengthen partnerships with academic staff and promote the Turkish language," said Aliy.

The Yunus Emre Institute has already notified the Russian authorities about its plans for the St. Petersburg center, stated the director. "And after two days of meetings and consultations during our delegation’s visit, we believe that the Russian side is quite receptive to our proposals. While no specific timelines or guarantees have yet been decided upon, since our Russian partners need to coordinate details with the government and the foreign ministry, the overall impression appears positive to me," he noted.

Aliy also emphasized Russia’s favorable stance toward the initiative for a Turkish cultural center in St. Petersburg. "We had a meeting with Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation), during which we discussed the role that the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Ankara plays in promoting Russian culture in Turkey," he concluded.