Global Journalism Council (GJC), which has representatives in 88 countries and all 81 provinces of Türkiye, will organize an exhibition and awards ceremony in London on October 1, with the aim of contributing to Türkiye’s public diplomacy efforts.
Having previously organized media gatherings, panels and workshops in Nicosia, Baku, Berlin, Tbilisi, Moscow and Tashkent, and an exhibition and awards ceremony in New York City last year, Global Journalism Council is adding another international event to its portfolio with an exhibition and awards ceremony to be held in London, the capital of the United Kingdom.
DOCUMENTARY EXHIBITION
On October 1, the prestigious Arundel House in London will host the opening of the exhibition titled “Turkish-British Relations Through Documents and Life,” curated by Dr. Özgenur Reyhan Güler. The exhibition will feature newspaper headlines and diplomatic correspondence compiled from the archive of collector Prof. Dr. Osman Kubilay Gül.
AWARDS CEREMONY
Following the exhibition, the GJC 2nd International Friendship Awards Ceremony will take place in the same venue.
Turkish journalists working in London, as well as British journalists who have demonstrated friendship towards Türkiye, will receive awards in various categories. In addition, awards and plaques of appreciation will be presented to statesmen, representatives of civil society organizations who have contributed to Turkish-British friendship, as well as individuals and institutions supporting the Council’s event.
FOUR DAYS IN LONDON
The event will coordinated by GJC United Kingdom Representative Vatan Öz.
The GJC delegation will travel to London on Tuesday, September 29. On September 30, the delegation will attend a reception hosted in their honor by Ambassador O. Koray Ertaş at the Turkish Embassy in London.
On the same day, the delegation will meet with representatives of the Turkish diaspora in London, Turkish-origin parliamentarians and members of the media. The delegation will also visit London’s historical and tourist attractions.
Following the exhibition and awards ceremony on October 1, the delegation will return to Türkiye on October 2.
30-MEMBER DELEGATION
The GJC delegation, which will depart from Istanbul for London on September 29, consists of approximately 30 people.
The delegation will include Ersin Tatar, the 5th President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as an honorary guest, as well as Ankara Keçiören Mayor Dr. Mesut Özarslan, Adana Sarıçam Mayor Bilal Uludağ, Alanya Municipality Foreign Relations Director Nazmi Uyar, veteran journalist and author Yavuz Donat, and Anadolu Agency Deputy General Manager Oğuz Karakaş.
The delegation will also include GJC President Mehmet Ali Dim; Vice President Nevzat Çiçek (Independent Türkçe); Vice Presidents Savaş Çokduygulu (5 Ocak), Nalan Yazgan (Cumhuriyet) and Edip Üzen (memurlar.net); Secretary General Lütfü Karakaş (Son Haber); Deputy Treasurer Hayati Arıgan (Dünya); Assembly Chairs Özgenur Reyhan Güler of TV 24 (National Media) and İlşad Eyvazlı of Media Türk (International Media); Board Member Yunus Soner (TeleSur TV); Deputy Assembly Chair Ahmet Coşkunaydın (Aydınlık); Assembly Member Nurcan Demirtaş (Hürriyet); GJC Austria Representative Adil Elmas (Avusturya Günlüğü); and GJC Slovakia Representative Kemal Değirmenci.
DIM: “OUR AIM IS TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY”
GJC President Mehmet Ali Dim, speaking about the event to be held in London, stated that one of the Council’s most important missions is to support public diplomacy and said:
“As the Global Journalism Council, we see this important gathering in London not merely as an awards ceremony or exhibition, but as a public diplomacy initiative that strengthens the communication and friendship bridges between Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
As part of our event, we will present awards to Turkish diaspora journalists working in London and different parts of the United Kingdom, as well as British journalists who have contributed to Türkiye, the Turkish community and relations between the two countries. Through these awards, we aim to highlight the contribution of journalism to developing mutual understanding between societies, reducing prejudices and strengthening friendships.
At the exhibition we will open on the same day, we will showcase notable newspaper headlines published in Türkiye concerning the United Kingdom over the years, along with documents reflecting the historical memory of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In this way, we will bring the historical journey of Turkish-British relations, from the perspectives of both media and diplomacy, to visitors.
Today, media is one of the most powerful instruments of public diplomacy. Journalists have an important responsibility in helping countries understand one another correctly, enabling societies to better understand each other and addressing misconceptions. As the Global Journalism Council, we regard journalism in our international activities not merely as the production of news, but as a powerful platform for communication and dialogue between countries and societies.
The main purpose of our gathering in London is to contribute, through the media, to Türkiye’s international visibility, to presenting Türkiye accurately to the international community, and to our country’s public diplomacy efforts. At the same time, we attach great importance to establishing a stronger, more visible and more effective media communication network in countries where the Turkish diaspora is present.
As journalists, we cannot claim to solve the problems between countries on our own. However, we can contribute to a better understanding of one another, to societies becoming more familiar with each other, and to bringing people together around common values.
We believe that the exhibition and awards ceremony we will hold in London will add new value to the media dimension of the longstanding relations between Türkiye and the United Kingdom and contribute to the development of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”
THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS
Dim also expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to and supported the London event, saying:
“I would like to thank, first and foremost, our United Kingdom Representative Vatan Öz, as well as the institutions and organizations providing sponsorship support, particularly Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Keçiören Municipality and Sarıçam Municipality, along with the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), Eftelia Hotels, EsteWorld and MUSIAD London.”
