On May 13, 2026, at 2:30 PM, Associate Professor Dr. Yavuz Ercan Gül, a faculty member of the Department of Educational Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, delivered a seminar titled “Education as a Soft Power” for university students. The seminar aimed to raise students’ awareness of the strategic role of education in international relations and to discuss the cultural and diplomatic impacts of educational policies in a globalizing world.

During the seminar, the theoretical framework of the concept of soft power was examined, along with examples of public diplomacy practices carried out through education around the world. In this context, the soft power strategies developed by different countries through higher education policies, scholarship programs, and international student mobility were comparatively evaluated. Examples of education-based cooperation initiatives conducted by Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan at regional and international levels were also discussed.

Associate Professor Dr. Gül emphasized that education is not only a tool for individual development but also a powerful instrument shaping countries’ cultural influence and international prestige. He also underlined the critical role of universities in building bridges between societies sharing common historical and cultural heritage. In this regard, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University was highlighted as one of the most concrete examples of cultural rapprochement between the two brotherly countries through education.

At the end of the seminar, students were informed about international exchange programs and academic cooperation opportunities through which they could gain a deeper understanding of education as a dimension of soft power. The event concluded with a question-and-answer session and mutual evaluations