Stockholm University opened an Institute for Turkey Studies on 12 March.
The inauguration ceremony for the new department was attended by both the Turkish president Abdullah Gul and Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The institute will carry out research on the historical, cultural, political and economic aspects of Turkish society in a “European and global context”, according to a statement by the university.
“We want our research to contribute to a broader understanding of Turkey and Turkish affairs among both researchers and opinion makers, business leaders and the public in Scandinavia,” said the institute’s director Paul Levin, in a statement. “But we also hope to reach out to Europe and the rest of the world.”
Levin adds that the institute has already established partnerships with several Swedish and Turkish companies and organisations, including the clothing line H&M, telephone company TeliaSonera, and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey.