YTB reached nearly 505,000 people in 2025

The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) reached nearly 505,000 people through 389 different projects and initiatives targeting the Turkish diaspora in 2025, Acting President Abdulhadi Turus said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Turus described 2025 as a year in which YTB significantly strengthened its institutional capacity and expanded the scope of its activities abroad.

Emphasizing support for Turkish citizens living overseas, Turus said YTB focused on diaspora engagement, combating Islamophobia, and improving living standards for citizens in their countries of residence. Cultural initiatives, educational infrastructure, and Turkish-language–centered programs were prioritized, alongside efforts to enhance professional skills and capacities across different fields.

“We worked intensively on youth mobility programs, legal support against hate speech, and preventive mechanisms rather than reactive responses,” Turus said.

Focus on Family, Youth, and Education

Recalling that 2025 was declared the “Year of the Family” in Türkiye, Turus noted that YTB supported projects aimed at protecting family unity among citizens abroad and provided various incentives in this area.

He also highlighted internship programs developed through protocols with Türkiye’s defense industry companies, enabling Turkish-origin students studying at prestigious European universities to gain professional experience in Türkiye. These efforts, he said, aim to build a diaspora that remains strongly connected to Türkiye while holding influential positions in their resident countries.

Publications and Migration Programs

Turus stated that YTB published nearly 30 academic, cultural, and educational works in 2025 and organized events marking the 60th anniversary of labor migration in several countries.

He underlined a key institutional transformation at YTB, saying the organization now operates with a proactive approach guided by the principle: “Wherever there is a citizen or kin community, we are there.”

Approximately 7 million Turkish citizens live outside Türkiye, Turus noted, most of them descendants of workers who migrated to Europe under labor agreements in the 1960s, representing a strong diaspora potential.

International Students and Human Rights

Turus said more than 350,000 international students are currently studying in Türkiye, with around 15,000 supported under the Türkiye Scholarships program, describing this as concrete evidence of Türkiye’s growing role as a global education and culture hub.

He added that YTB launched the Human Rights Project Support Program for the first time in 2025 and continued its work through reports on attacks targeting Turkish communities abroad, updated citizen guides, and the NESAM portal for monitoring hate crimes and discrimination. Legal support and specialized scholarships in law were also provided.

Global Outreach and Youth Programs

Throughout 2025, YTB carried out activities across a wide geography, from the Balkans and the Middle East to Africa, Central Asia, East Asia, and Latin America, designing region-specific programs sensitive to local historical and social dynamics.

Turus highlighted the Balkan Youth Schools Program, implemented in eight countries with 14 sub-programs and attended by 608 high school and university students, with 250 successful participants hosted in Türkiye under follow-up programs.

Alumni Networks and Türkiye Scholarships

Turus said the number of users registered on the Türkiye Alumni Portal has approached 150,000, supported by 35 alumni associations in 31 countries, which now serve as natural bridges between Türkiye and their home countries.

At the core of YTB’s international student efforts, Turus noted, is the Türkiye Scholarships program, which currently supports more than 15,000 students, with about 5,000 new students admitted annually following interviews conducted in nearly 100 countries. Selected students are placed at over 140 universities in 73 cities across Türkiye.

Concluding his remarks, Turus reiterated that through its 389 projects in 2025, YTB reached nearly 505,000 people worldwide, reinforcing Türkiye’s global cultural, educational, and diaspora engagement efforts.