Türkiye Alumni Meet in North Macedonia
Çarşamba, Aralık 27, 2023Taking the floor at the Gathering of Türkiye Alumni held in North Macedonia, President of YTB Abdullah Eren said: “Wherever we go around the world, we see communities that back Türkiye and individually follow the developments about Türkiye. This is a great achievement but also a major responsibility for Türkiye”.
The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) held a Gathering of Türkiye Alumni in Skopje, the capital town of North Macedonia.
Delivering a speech at the event, President of YTB Abdullah Eren noted that the Turkish foreign policy has taken a leap forward as necessitated by the historical and cultural heritage of Türkiye under the leadership of President Erdoğan, making use of instruments in many aspects, including education and cultural diplomacy, social development assistance, as well as the instruments of conventional diplomacy. Mr. Eren added that the organizations recently founded in Türkiye such as YTB, Maarif Foundation, and Yunus Emre Institute extend a helping hand to the lands of heart that Türkiye shares bonds with.
Speaking of how the term “lands of heart” is peculiar to Türkiye, Eren said:, "Wherever we go around the world, we see communities that back Türkiye and individually follow the developments about Türkiye. This is a great achievement but also a major responsibility for Türkiye". Mr. Eren highlighted the presence of 35 Türkiye Alumni Associations around the world, and said that over 130 alumni gatherings have been held over the past four years.
Bilal Erdoğan, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for the Expansion of Knowledge, pointed out that Türkiye is home to students from nearly 180 countries and said that the number of students on a scholarship in Türkiye has risen to over 300,000. Referring to the attacks in Palestine as part of his address, Mr. Erdoğan noted that human rights have been taken to pieces in the occupied lands of Palestine, and that the entire set of Western values has been stomped on.
Mr. Erdoğan added that Türkiye provides help without expecting anything in return: “We deliver lots of humanitarian aid to not only the lands where Turks and related communities live but also the lands beyond them. Offices, orphanages, and economic development projects are launched without expecting anything in return. Türkiye does not do any of this expecting something in return. This is what sets Türkiye apart from the West”. Mr. Erdoğan expressed his wish that Türkiye Alumni will hold great positions in North Macedonia and across the entire region.
Hasan Mehmet Sekizkök, the Ambassador of Türkiye in Skopje, expressed God’s mercy on the martyrs and his condolences to their families, and the whole Turkish nation at the outset of his speech. Mr. Sekizkök remarked that it is one of Türkiye’s priorities to encourage young people in North Macedonia and other Balkan countries, with which Türkiye enjoys shared history and human ties, to be well equipped for adult life following proper education. Ekrem Destanov, Velika Ivkovska, and Metin Izeti, Türkiye Scholarship graduates, took the stage at the event.
The event was attended by Abdullah Eren, President of YTB, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for Expansion of Knowledge, Beycan İlyas, the Leader of the Turkish Democratic Party (TDP) in North Macedonia and MP and Erdoğan Saraç, the Leader of the Turkish National Unity Movement (TMBH), as well as the officials of Turkish agencies and organisations based in the country and Turkish alumni.