In Mongolia, Arinc sees traces of early Turkish history

Visiting a Turkish-Mongol school in Ulan Bator, Mongolia over the weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc saw a performance by the school's students, and was presented with a gift of traditional clothing. Arinc also visited the nearby Tonyukuk Monument, commemorating Vizier Tonyukuk, a top counselor to Turkish khans in the late seventh and early eight centuries who is hailed as the first Turkish writer and historian and the "Bismarck of the Turks" for his skill as a strategist and tactician. Bilge Khan and his brother Kultegin Khan, who governed the Second Gokturk State from 716 to 734, argued that the state could not be ruled by fighting and bravery alone, but also required wisdom. For this reason both the Khans and Tonyukuk erected monuments immortalizing their accomplishments with stone carvings known as the Orkhon inscriptions, offering a detailed account of early Turkish history. Arinc also visited a statue of the legendary Mongol leader Genghis Khan.