Famagusta, Cyprus. Eastern Mediterranean University said it has no record of Sakarya mayor Yusuf Alemdar ever studying there, amid reports questioning his claimed academic background.
University statement
Eastern Mediterranean University said that “in recent days, various news reports and speculations have been made in our country’s news and media channels” about whether Yusuf Alemdar has a degree from the institution.
“To prevent the formation of false impressions in the public and to clarify the matter,” the university said Alemdar “never registered with our university, was not a student of ours, and does not possess a degree from the Eastern Mediterranean University.”
“It is also clear from the statements made to the press by ‘Yusuf Alemdar’ that he does not have a degree from the Eastern Mediterranean University,” it added.
Background to the claims
Alemdar is the mayor of the Sakarya municipality on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, which has a population of over a million, and he claims to have graduated with a degree in business administration.
Rumours about whether Alemdar studied in Cyprus emerged earlier in the week after veteran journalist Levent Ozadam said an academic from Eastern Mediterranean University had alerted him to the issue.
2014 visit to Famagusta
On Wednesday, the Cyprus Mail reported it had uncovered records of a visit Alemdar made to Famagusta in 2014, when he was mayor of Serdivan, a smaller municipality inside Sakarya, during which he did not mention having studied there.
During a visit to Eastern Mediterranean University in August 2014, the university’s website said Alemdar “stated that he loves the TRNC very much” and that he had “received very positive information” about the university. It added that he wanted to see it in person to obtain more detailed information.
The university said at the time that Alemdar had completed his military service in Cyprus, but made no reference to having studied at the university or elsewhere. Abdullah Oztoprak, the university’s rector at the time, said the university has “many students and graduates from Sakarya” but did not refer to any previous studies by Alemdar.
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