Turkey will promote culture and art with renewed fervor, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday.
"Hopefully in the new era, we will bring up culture, art, architecture and city planning to the desired level," Erdoğan said at the 2018 Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry's Special Awards ceremony.
Erdoğan lamented that Turkey could not go a long way in the area of culture and art in the past 16 years.
The president said he views culture and art as an "important matter of survival" exactly like the fight against terrorism and foreign policy.
"For nations, the successes that can not achieved via diplomacy, military and economic power, can be earned through music, literature and cinematographic work," Erdoğan added.
He said common features of all great powers is to attach value to culture and art.
