St. John's Honors Prime Minister of Turkey

During a special convocation held January 26 St. John's University honored Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, recognizing his outreach to Western nations and celebrating the University's continued global focus and collaboration with other nations.

"We honor a statesman who heads a nation which has long been a friend of the United States of America," said Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John's University. "The Prime Minister has quickly taken his place on the world stage and in doing so he has marked himself as a man who seeks peace, reconciliation and respect for all."

Father Harrington added, "His outreach to other nations, both for a conciliatory resolution to the long standing division on the island of Cyprus, and as a mediator between Syria and Israel, are qualities which we as a University highly respect and applaud."

Elected in 2003, Prime Minister Erdogan is widely lauded for rooting out political corruption in his country and enhancing Turkey's prominence within its own geographical region and globally. Formerly the Mayor of Istanbul, he successfully dealt with many of the city's chronic problems such as infrastructure and recycling. He paid back most of its $2 million debt and invested nearly $4 billion.

Over 300 people from Turkey and the United States attended this special event. Mr. Erdogan met with President Bush at the White House two days after visiting St. John's.