After the welcome address by President Eberhard Sinner, Ali Bayraktar, Commercial Attaché at the Turkish Consulate General in Munich, gave welcoming remarks.

A first highlight was the excerpt from the diary of Prof Dr Ernst Hirsch, who was no longer allowed to teach in Germany as a Jew in 1933 and therefore emigrated to the University of Istanbul. His memories of the 19th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey were recited by his son Enver Hirsch, who was born in Istanbul.

The historian Dr Ergün Özsoy, lecturer at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Augsburg, recapitulated the historical relations of the Ottoman Empire and then Turkey with Europe and Germany in particular.

Prof Dr Erdal Yalçin, Professor of International Economic Relations at the University of Applied Sciences Konstanz (HTWG), spoke on the topic of Turkey and the EU - yesterday, today - and tomorrow? He discussed the development and current situation of European-Turkish economic relations. Prof Yalcin shed light on all aspects from both the Turkish and EU sides and was thus able to provide a well-founded explanation of the status of Turkey's accession efforts.
Prof Dr Yalcin is preparing a publication on the subject based on his presentation, which he will make available on request. We will inform you as soon as this is the case.

Commercial Attaché Ali Bayraktar, greetings
Enver Hirsch, extract from his father's diary
Dr Ergün Özsoy, presentation on the lecture