"This shows how unity is needed to meet differences in a country."
Depok, West Java (ANTARA News) - Visiting President Abdullah Gul of Turkey received an honorary doctorate in political science from prestigious state University of Indonesia (UI) here on Wednesday.

"President Abdullah is one of influential politicians in his country and in the world," UI rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somanti said in his speech at the presentation of the degree, attended by education minister M Nuh, minister/cabinet secretary Dipo Alam, deans of the university and a number of students.

"His role in politics and development of democracy is concrete," he said.

Minister M Nuh meanwhile said on the occasion the event marked the good relations between the two countries.

"In the field of education a lot of Turkish schools have been established in Indonesia," he said.

He said the cooperation showed that education could be used as a means of cultural diplomacy between Turkish and Indonesian communities.

President Abdullah Gul is an economics graduate of the Istanbul University. His government`s policies have so far been emphasized on development of democracy and religious freedom.

In his speech the President meanwhile said he highly appreciated the Indonesian principles of "Bhineka Tunggal Ika" or unity in diversity.

"This shows how unity is needed to meet differences in a country," he said.

He said the principles supported the development process of real democracy which must indeed be done jointly for the sake of realizing rule of law and human rights.
(T.F006/H-YH/HAJM/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011