Press releases

MINSK, 15 February (BelTA) - The National Library of Turkey donated about 1,500 to the National Library of Belarus, BelTA has learned.

These are the books of different themes and genres. “These books will help readers discover Turkey as a country with the long traditions, get acquainted with its culture and tourist potential,” Mr. Zulfi Toman, President of the National Library of Turkey, said during the ceremony. The Turkish guests also gave their colleagues in Belarus a selection of historical photographs “Traces of Istanbul: from the Empire to the Republic.”

Accepting the gift, Director of the National Library of Belarus Roman Motulsky said that this gesture is another step in the development of cooperation between the main libraries of the two countries. On 14 February, Belarus and Turkey signed a number of documents to bolster ties in various fields, including the memorandum of understanding between the National Library of Turkey and the National Library of Belarus. The document is aimed at strengthening the interaction between the two libraries, promoting corporate relations in science, culture and disseminating scientific information.

As a return gesture Roman Motulsky gave the Turkish guests the electronic version of the book by an English diplomat, historian and traveler “Turkish Monarchy...”. The book was published by the Slutsk typography in 1678. The original book is kept in the National Library of Belarus.

This year the National Library of Belarus plans to hand over the facsimile edition The Book Heritage of Francysk Skaryna to the Turkish colleagues.