Related Communities

The Department of Cultural and Social Relations, one of the main service units of our presidency, carries out activities for kin and related communities. These communities, which we also call 'Sibling Communities' as a higher definition, consist of countries, regions and societies that have deep-rooted relations and deep ties with our country due to their historical, religious, political, geographical and cultural aspects. Within the framework of this definition, it is also possible to categorize the sibling communities under the following sub-headings;

•         Turkish-speaking minorities, countries and regions;
•         Muslim countries, regions and societies,
•         Countries and societies that need our country's support in their development and
•         Türkiye Alumni

Within the framework of the above definitions, as a requirement of both Türkiye's historical responsibilities and Türkiye's foreign policy approach based on peaceful and international development, the main objectives of the activities carried out towards related communities are as follows.

•     Conducting public and cultural diplomacy activities for the development of our social, cultural and economic relations,
•     Contributing to the relations between our country with related communities that we have historical and cultural ties by developing cooperation ,
•     Conducting activities to ensure that Türkiye Alumni are more organized and active in their countries of residence and maintain their relations with Türkiye.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned main objectives, studies are carried out in line with the needs and determinations regarding the sibling communities through the financial support programs of our Presidency.

In this context, it is the responsibility of the Department of Cultural and Social Relations to develop economic, social and cultural ties with kin and related communities, and to guide and support activities with relevant individuals, institutions and non-governmental organizations. Our department carries out these operations through a series of programs ranging from education to culture, from academia to arts, and from media to civil society, in a way to contribute to the near, medium and long-term foreign policy goals of our country and to strengthen the diaspora of 6 million people with the diasporas of fellow and related communities.

Türkiye has different historical and cultural ties with each of its related communities. Depending on the level of historical, social and cultural proximity, these relations may be at the level of kinship. The Department of Cultural and Social Relations has organized country-regional offices carry out activities specific to each country and region, thus establishing relations with sibling communities in different geographies, which have different levels of relations and closeness with our country, within the scope of their specific situations, needs and demands. In some regions, issues such as language education, cultural identity in some regions, and the integration of young people into society in some regions come to the fore.