Diplomacy and Media Initiative Focused on TRNC by a AUC Academic in Azerbaijan
- 4 December 2025
Dr. Emel Yılmaz, Faculty Member of the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cyprus American University (AUC), first represented AUC at the International Conference on Quality in Higher Education held in Baku on November 27-28. Yılmaz chaired various sessions over the two days and delivered a presentation titled “Internationalization in Higher Education: A Global Framework.”
Dr. Yılmaz began his visit to Azerbaijan by participating in the 7th Media Forum organized by the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). During the sessions on strengthening media cooperation and communication networks in the Turkic world, he highlighted the role of the TRNC in this process. Following the forum, Dr. Yılmaz made statements in the meeting hall to Media Türk, one of Azerbaijan’s major channels, and then to the Azerbaijan Yeni Çağ Media Group, expressing that the TRNC’s higher education vision, AUC’s internationalization goals, and academic and media cooperation among Turkic states would contribute to regional solidarity.
During his visit to Baku, Dr. Yılmaz also held a meeting with Cavanşir Feyziyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan-TRNC Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. The meeting addressed the development of academic relations between the two countries, the institutionalization of joint projects, and the strengthening of the TRNC’s international visibility. Feyziyev expressed his satisfaction with the further strengthening of friendship ties with the TRNC.
Another important stop on Dr. Yılmaz’s Azerbaijan tour was Khazar University. During the meeting with Alovsat Amirbeyli, Secretary General of Khazar University, with whom AUC Rector Prof. Dr. Gökçe Keçeci signed a cooperation protocol six months ago, a comprehensive assessment was made on joint academic programs, research projects, student mobility, and academic exchange opportunities. It was stated that the meeting was a strategic step that would contribute to expanding AUC’s international academic network and establishing new partnerships in the Turkic world.
