Turkish review launched in UK with ceremony at house of lords

The launching ceremony for the Turkish Review magazine in the UK was held last week at a seminar titled "Turkey and the Arab Awakening: Do the Arabs need Turkey as a role model?" at the UK House of Lords. The seminar was chaired by Lord Alderdice, who is the convener of the Liberal Democrat peers and co-chair of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party committee on Northern Ireland. Speakers on the panel included Turkish Review Editor-in-Chief Kerim Balci, renowned journalist and academic Myriam Francois-Cerrah and university lecturer Gulnur Aybet. The panel saw a discussion on whether Turkey could really be a role model for Arab nations. Lord Alderdice spoke about Turkey's remarkable transition over the past few years. "Turkey has a huge historic and political significance for the wider region, not just for the Middle East or West Asia but the whole of Europe, and the meaning of what happens in Turkey is something that is profoundly significant in all sorts of areas -- religiously, politically, economically and socially." Turkish Review Editor-in-Chief Balcı spoke about the impact of tourists, expatriates and refugees on Turkish society, explaining Turkey's increasing role as a familiar sanctuary for all, not just for refugees but as a meeting point for all foreigners. Dr. Aybet commented that Turkish society in general is proud of the warm reception extended to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his trips to the Middle East. The launch of the Turkish Review bi-monthly magazine will offer insights on the Turkish perspective of the world.