Today’s activity of the peak, the first of which was carried out in Sapanca in 2015 and the second of which was organized in Antalya in 2016 has started in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock TAGEM Conference Hall and Foyer Area with the support of 9 ministries, 8 universities and STKs over 80.

AVRASYA Natural Nourishment and Healthy Life Peak has opened its doors to the visitors as part of the activities of “15 July the Week of Democracy Victory and Commemorating the Martyrs”.

In the foyer where the issues such as good agricultural practices, organic production, food security and credibility, the problems of food waste, nourishment and dietetic, apitheraphy, geographical signs, gastronomy, traditional and integrative medicine, healthy life and sports will be tackled practically, Atatürk University has also stood in. Rector Prof.Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, who participated in the opening, stated that he felt very happy owing to the fact that he was in the activity of 2018 Congress and Exhibition of AVRASYA Natural Nourishment and Healthy Life Peak arranged as part of the activities of 15 July the Week of Democracy Victory and Commemorating the Martyrs.

“Natural Nourishment and Healthy Life has got a very important place in Community Health”

Rector Çomaklı, who participated in the foyer which Atatürk University was sponsor for as an honored guest and made a speech , said, “ I have been evaluating the Peak of “NATURAL” 2018 which I think is a continuation of the activities “NATURAL” 2016 which was successfully organized in Antalya EXPO Center and the Peak of “NATURAL” 2015 in Sapanca with especially the participation of Honorable Mrs. Emine Erdoğan of T.C. President, our deputies, our academic members, the representatives of STKs, the stakeholders from the state institutions and organizations as a useful activity in the direction of the target.

He added, “Natural nourishment and healthy life has a very important place in community health. Industrialization, illegal manufacturing and uncontrollable practices of modern agriculture are becoming natural and healthy production more and more difficult day by day. Therefore, food security is one of the most important issues today.

If we think that the universities will be shaped in the frame of the contribution to the society again soon, it is obvious that the studies in this area will be very important socially. The targets which our Honorable President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has demanded from the universities and the new structure of YÖK must be evaluated in this context.”

“Universities have become the centers which produce knowledge and share it with the society” 

Çomaklı, who stated that the innovations in the field of science and technology has changed the society and the relationship between the society and the university considerably, said, “The limits between research , education and serving the society have become vague, and the universities have become important centers which produce knowledge and assimilate into this knowledge by sharing with the society. In the atmosphere of the global competition in compliance with the new system of YÖK, it is inevitable to carry out the studies of mission differentiation and determining the privileged fields in the universities in the direction of the regional necessities.”

 “Atatürk University has entered a new period of structuring.”

Prof. Dr. Çomaklı, who attracted attention to the fact that Atatürk University has entered a new period of structuring for about a year, said, “Atatürk University the New Generation University Design and Change Project has been going on in this context. Just as the success of the New Generation University Agriculture and Change Project” is of great importance for our university, so it will be a pioneer for the other state universities thanks to the development of a sample model in point of the Turkish Higher Education. The period of the project has been calculated fourteen months and after it has been completed in April 2019, the application level will start. But, a dinamic period has been directed starting-up a new application every month. As part of the project we have carried out three research conferences and a deciding conference up till now with the aim of getting a shared wisdom.”

Rector Çomaklı underlined that one of the primary fields which was determined in the studies which started nearly five months ago is food sector and food security. He said, “We have started the modernisation work with an investment of 12 billion TL in 18 laboratories of the Department of Food Engineering and in 12 laboratories of the other relevant departments. We expect that our work which has been carried out in a way to do advanced technological researches and become accredited will make important contributions to the studies and efforts of natural nourishment and healthy life.

Bu temennilerle ulusal ve uluslararası iş birliklerinin geliştirilmesine önemli katkılar yapacak AVRASYA Doğal Beslenme ve Sağlıklı Yaşam Zirvesi 2018’in, ilgili tüm kesimler için hayırlı neticeler getirmesini diliyor, şükranlarımı sunuyorum” ifadelerini kullanarak konuşmasını tamamladı.

I wish that AVRASYA Natural Nourishment and Healthy Life Peak 2018 which will make important contributions to the development of national and international cooperations will bring beneficial results to everybody and I express my gratitude.”

PRESS CENTER