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American Corner Opening

Remarks by Ambassador Michael Klosson
Eastern Mediterranean University Library,
May 23, 2005

Rector Guven, Director Soykan, distinguished faculty and guests.

It is a pleasure to be here at Eastern Mediterranean University. This is an exciting moment for me. I am pleased to participate in this opening, and to share with you my vision of what these corners of America mean for our mutual future. We look forward to having many across the island.

First, I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Halil Guven, the University Rector, and Mr. Osman Soykan, the Library Director, as well as library and university staff for being the kind hosts of the American Corner at EMU. This project would not have been possible without their help and support.

Many of you may wonder, what exactly is an American Corner? Let me take a minute and explain. First, there is the literal explanation: as the name suggests, an American Corner is a small corner within a library or some other location carrying a collection of books and audiovisual material with information on the United States.

I hope American corners in Cyprus will serve actually as windows on America -- as ports of entry, as it were – for anyone who wishes to learn about my country. For those who can’t travel to America, we hope in these corners to open a window on America for you to satisfy whatever interest you have -- casual, academic or professional. That is my vision.

American Corners were first launched in October 2000 at the initiative of the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. Since then, American Corners have become a thriving network; 185 Corners operate around the world, from Malaysia to Norway and from Brazil to South Africa. Another 50 are expected to open in 2005. There are over one hundred such corners in Europe alone.

American Corners are built upon the core concept of partnership. They aim to provide a community service by giving everyone an opportunity to learn about the political, economic, cultural, educational, and social aspects of life in the United States. They offer free and open access to the public, aiming to make information readily available. The overarching goals are to provide information on the United States and thus forge a lasting relationship between the people of Cyprus and the American people.

The Corners are more than a repository of books. They also serve as a venue for hosting joint programs with the University, such as lectures, speakers, and informational displays appealing to broad audiences and helping to increase mutual understanding.

Through the operation of the Corner we hope to provide insight into American art, film, science, culture and education.

More than 300 titles are currently available for the Corner’s visitors, including books, videos, multimedia CD ROMs. These titles include a collection on the writings of the Founding Fathers of America and a collection of books on American Art, as well as a carefully chosen hard copy literature selection.

We also provide free Internet access. There is a professional librarian who will be trained to help you find information on the United States. The selection of EMU Library is very appropriate: it serves the local community through information dissemination, as a research center, and most of all as an education center.

As part of EMU, the Corner will be open to everyone and anyone wishing to learn about the United States.

We hope that the American Corner will serve as an intellectual asset to the University and other interested groups, students, faculty, townspeople, NGOs, the media and the business community. While Turkish Cypriots are an important constituency here, we recognize that EMU’s student population is composed of citizens of dozens of countries, and its faculty boasts distinguished scholars from many countries as well, including my own. All are welcome to the American Corner. We certainly hope that this space you see behind us will contribute to building knowledge of the United States for all.

This corner opens another window on the United States for Turkish Cypriots. It establishes another connection between Americans and Turkish Cypriots. It advances our mutual interests in better understanding and increased contact.

I am confident that this American Corner will be a friendly and lively place that promotes dialogue and mutual understanding between Cypriots and Americans. American Embassy Nicosia will do its best to support activities of this corner. Ultimately, its success will depend on the participation and support of its users. I am delighted to see you, as potential users, here today. This American Corner is now ready to welcome its first users, so I hereby declare it officially open. Thank you, and welcome.

Click here to read more about American Corners Cyprus