The award was presented to Sancar during a ceremony held at the Aziz&Gwen Sancar Foundation in North Carolina, USA, where he received the honor from TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev.
Raev praised Sancar, saying, “You are not only a scientist but also a valuable representative of the shared consciousness and scientific brilliance of the Turkic World. Your Nobel Prize-winning contributions to humanity, as well as your humility and hard work reflecting Turkish cultural values, are exemplary for all of humanity.”
Raev emphasized that Sancar is a source of pride and inspiration for the Turkic World. The decision to award Sancar was made unanimously during the 40th TURKSOY Permanent Council meeting in Shusha, Azerbaijan.
The ceremony was attended by Melih Seyfettin Güngör, Minister-Counselor of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, along with the friends of Aziz and Gwen Sancar, young people from different age groups, and university students.
“This was my dream”
Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar, visibly emotional, expressed that receiving the “Cultural Ambassador of the Turkic World” title was more valuable to him than even the Nobel Prize.
“This honor is more precious to me than all the awards. This was my dream. TURKSOY is a very valuable institution, and I hope it continues to represent us globally,” Sancar said during his speech.
Reflecting on the challenges the Turkic World has faced in terms of unity throughout history, Sancar stated, “Historically, the Turkic peoples did not act together for a long time. But today, if we speak of unity, much of it is thanks to our heads of state, those who carry the consciousness of Turkism in their hearts, and institutions like TURKSOY.”
At the end of the ceremony, Sultan Raev, the Secretary General of TURKSOY, presented Sancar with gifts reflecting the unity and rich culture of the Turkic World. Among the gifts were a chapans from Kazakhstan, a kalpak from Kyrgyzstan, a national belt from Uzbekistan, a wolf-headed cane from Türkiye, a pin symbolizing the Karabakh Victory from Azerbaijan, and a special edition Mahtumkulu Firaki from Turkmenistan, along with various garments, accessories, and jewelry.
