Honorable Presidents, Chancellors & Vice Chancellors and Rectors of Universities, Distinguished Members and Delegates of Eurasian Silk Road Universities Consortium and the Winter Summit, dear participants from the Universities and Atatürk University Community and dear Students,

       I am very proud of mentioning that during the series of conferences of ESRUC Consortium organized by Atatürk University, we all together have been like a small world community convening from over 30 countries of 4 continents involving nearly 200 Higher Education Institutions.

       Atatürk University and ESRUC Consortium have achieved this under the leadership of President KOÇAK and your very valuable contributions so that on behalf of the organizing committee, I first of all thank to him and you for such enormous events that will probably become a brand for Erzurum and Atatürk University and possibly for all the member universities of ESRUC.

       Ladies and gentleman, during this particular Winter Summit organized under auspicious of Silk Road Universities Consortium and themed the issues such as tourism, sports, biodiversity and global changes. I am glad to express the fact that there has been a huge interest of nearly 70 institutions of countries from the United States in the far west to Malaysia in the Far East. And, here you are ladies and gentleman, 65 very valuable keynotes, invited talks and selected contributions have raised highlighting experience and ideas, discussing all the related issues in very detailed and diverse manner.
Spectral range was so wide that

• Sport was discussed from youth to professional ones; the effects of it were discussed from the geographical and environmental conditions to the global changes and factors.

• Tourism was discussed from winter ones up to educational ones. Its effects were discussed from the history to economy.

• Biodiversity was so diverse starting from Malaysia, Tajikistan ending up in the UK, with the intervenes of tourism, sport and global climate changes.

• And the big and the most important issue; the global factors and changes were handled so professionally by our keynote speakers and contributors that I a sure all the countries from highly developed to less developed will benefit from the invoked experiences.

       Distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman, as far as tourism is concerned, Turkey is the only country in the world that has two cities within the top ten list; Antalya and Istanbul. Antalya is a brand for summer tourism and so Istanbul is for cultural one. As Ataturk University, our aim and most beautiful dream would be Erzurum becoming a third brand for winter and sports tourism. Having said that, we also pick up lessons from the lived experiences in Europe and north America.

       I guess this congress will result in a right pathway for Erzurum and other similar ski resorts of silk road countries to achieve such purposes.

       Ladies and gentleman, in the beginning of this event, I also would like to mention that we also held a quite beneficial meeting of ESRUC executive board members involving generally faculty recruitments, exchange programs, networks, possible European projects such as Erasmus-Mundus, sistership and next possible events and activities on those we will take and execute necessary actions as the Presidency and secretariats of the consortium and they will come out in ESRUC website as soon as possible.

       Finally, I must give my very special thanks to everyone in the organizing committee, sponsors, supporters, members, delegates, keynote speakers, contributors, attendees and students. Thank you all very much and wish you safe journey back homes.
Thank you.

Prof.Dr. Sebahattin TÜZEMEN
Secretary General of ESRUC