Int’l language festival students given high-level welcome in Australia

Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove is presented a gift by one of the contestants of the 13th International Language and Culture Festival. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove is presented a gift by one of the contestants of the 13th International Language and Culture Festival. (Photo: Today's Zaman)


Date posted: June 8, 2015

ENES CANSEVER/ ZAFER POLAT/ SYDNEY

Some 60 students from 19 countries who came to Australia as part of the 13th International Language and Culture Festival have received an enthusiastic welcome by senior Australian officials.

Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove hosted the students at his official residence with his spouse, Lynne Cosgrove, on Saturday. Saying that he was pleased to see Australia hosting this year’s International Language and Culture Festival, Cosgrove praised the initiative’s efforts for global peace during the students’ visit. “As we all know, the world is unsettled and is being faced with some serious challenges which can cause great division. … What we aspire for is a unified world, where people not only respect each other but embrace and display altruistic traits. It’s great to see those who share this vision of sustaining global peace have put this ideal into practice. Through their efforts we are seeing peace bloom in the lands they are serving; and it is through education that we have harnessed the talents of these aspiring individuals. It is great to see we are all working towards universal peace,” Cosgrove said.

The governor-general and his wife then accepted gifts the students brought from their home countries. The students sang songs in Turkish and English during their visit.

Australia will for the first time host an International Language and Culture Festival on Sunday. The festival is organized by Sirius Educational Institutions, which have been active in Australia for years.

The first 11 editions of the event were hosted in Turkey, but due to government hostility and the ongoing persecution of the Gülen movement, or Hizmet movement — which is involved in organizing the culture festival — the organizers have held the event in various countries since 2014 to avoid potential problems.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the Hizmet movement of attempting to overthrow his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, but has failed to present evidence to support this allegation.

Source: Today's Zaman , June 06, 2015

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

Turkish Deputy PM Ali Babacan visits Turkish, Japanese schools in Sendai

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, during a visit to Japan, on Wednesday visited a Turkish and a Japanese school in Sendai, both of which sustained severe damage in last March’s earthquake and tsunami, the Anatolia news agency reported. Babacan received a warm welcome by the Japanese students of the Matsugahama elementary school in the […]

1,500 pounds of frozen meat for needy Staten Island families

Fifteen Staten Island food pantries will distribute 1,500 pounds of frozen meat to needy families this holiday season.

Texas Agency Finds No Wrongdoing by Harmony Public Schools

Texas education officials have dismissed a complaint against the state’s largest charter school network after determining two major charges leveled against it by the Turkish government were baseless. “The flagrant lies spread by these foreign agents are unconscionable,” said Robert Schulman, a lawyer representing Harmony Public Schools.

Ministry of Defense and Orizont High School to Cooperate in the Educational Area

The Ministry of Defense and Orizont High School concluded a cooperation agreement in the educational area. The document, signed by Defense Minister Vitalie Marinuta and general director of Orizont High School, Turgay Şen, highlights the cooperation between the two institutions in the military patriotic education domain.

African Union Commission chair supports creation of more Turkish schools

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, said on Tuesday during a visit to Johannesburg that volunteers working for the faith-based Gülen movement — inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen — should continue to build schools and other institutions in Africa.

IFLC sends messages of peace in Germany, calls for Turkey to widen its horizon

The 13th International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC) held in Germany offered a moving closing ceremony over the weekend that included calls on Turkey to broaden its horizon — given the continuing inner turmoil in the country — so that it can see “lights of love and tolerance” spread across the globe.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Rumi Forum Fellowship Program 2015

State discrimination against Hizmet movement sympathizers

Government oppression of confederation hurts Turkish exports to Africa

A Match Made in Hell: The Budding Bromance of Trump and Erdogan

South Korean NGO: It’s hard to make sense of what is being done to Kimse Yok Mu

The mosque-cemevi project and the settlement process

What’s Friendship Got to Do With [Mr. Gulen’s] Extradition?

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News