Talented high school students in Turkey on Tuesday received "Jinnah Young Writers Awards" at a ceremony hosted by Pakistan's embassy in Ankara, in collaboration with the Turkish Education Ministry.
The award ceremony for the fifth edition of the essay competition saw the attendance of Turkish Deputy Education Minister Petek Aşkar and Pakistani Ambassador to Ankara Syrus Sajjad Qazi.
Speaking on the occasion, Aşkar said: "It is our duty to strengthen the bridge of brotherhood and friendship that our ancestors built in the past."
"Joint initiatives, as Jinnah Young Writers Award aimed at further deepening of cooperation in education and cementing bonds of friendship between both countries," she said.
She underscored that Pakistani students studying in Turkey and Turkish Maarif Foundation schools in Pakistan were reflective of growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of education.
Qazi, for his part, said that the two countries celebrate "75 years of bilateral diplomatic relations."
"Taking forward the legacy of our ancestors, the vision of the leadership in both countries would remain to transform this historic relationship into strong strategic partnership—encompassing all fields of human endeavor especially in the field of education and culture," he said.
Highschool student Kader Uludüz, from Turkey's black sea province of Trabzon clinched first position while the second prize went to İbrahim Dönmez from the southeastern Hatay province.
Nida Nur Özmen from the central Konya province secured the third position.
Maşallah Demir from the southern Adana province, Cemre Tuana from southeastern Batman, and Ezgi Göçer from Adana were awarded with "Honorable Mention."
Named after Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, the essay competition is one of the key features of Pakistani Embassy public diplomacy initiatives.
The essay competition is held annually among senior high school students of Turkey.
Theme for the fifth round of the competition was Past, Present and Future of Pakistan-Turkey Brotherly Relations.
