Prof. Dr. İbrahim ÇAPAK
(Rector of Bingöl University)
Our university, which was selected as a pilot university in 2016 in the field of "Agriculture and Basin Based Development" within the scope of "Regional Development Oriented Mission Differentiation and Specialisation Programme", continues its activities in the fields of "Bee and Bee Products" and "Identification and Evaluation of Plants with High Economic Value". As a result of four years of meticulous work carried out by our university, Bingöl Honey was registered at the national level with the Geographical Indication Certificate in October last year. In addition to all these, an application was made to the European Commission for Bingöl Honey, which was deemed valuable by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, within the scope of the efforts carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Technology for the international registration of our country's unique flavours. It is aimed to increase the international recognition of honey produced in different regions of our country with Bingöl Honey, whose registration process continues on the way to the European Union, to increase the sustainability of its quality, to expand international cooperation and market network. In this regard, the current situation in the field of beekeeping will be evaluated with the valuable work of our commissions in the "International Honey Council and Fair", which will be organised under the supervision of the Higher Education Council and hosted by our university, and sustainable strategic goals will be determined in this regard and strategic policies will be identified by producing solutions to basic problems. We believe that the fair activities to be organised in conjunction with the Council will create awareness in the field of bees and bee products, especially honey.
In addition to all these, as Bingöl University, we are very pleased to host the "5th International Bingöl Short Film Festival", one of the most important organisations of our city in the field of art and culture. Our short film festival, which offers new perspectives on Anatolian culture, also reveals the power and impact of the universal language of cinema art. It is a great honour for both Bingöl University and Bingöl city that young talents from different cultures, experienced filmmakers and art lovers meet in this festival. I would like to thank all the people and institutions who contributed to this organisation and I hope that "International Honey Council and Fair" will be a guide for all relevant institutions, private sector and researchers.