site.btaTurkiye Attaches Great Importance to Preserving Identity of Its Diaspora - Culture Minister

"Turkiye attaches great importance to preserving the national and spiritual identity of its citizens resident abroad," Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said at an event organized by the Ankara-based Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), quoted by the DHA news agency on Thursday.

"Turkiye has a vast diaspora worldwide, numbering nearly 7 million people. Its presence is particularly strong in European countries," Ersoy said. He sees the top priority regarding the Turkish diaspora is to create a path enabling citizens abroad to stand on their own feet and realize and utilize the power they possess.

The YTB data show that over the past 15 years, more than 150,000 alumni of Turkish educational institutions have been living and working in 184 countries. Alumni associations have been established in more than 30 countries, with the largest number in European countries.

YTB Deputy Head Abdulkadir Turus highlighted the contributions of Turkish alumni to their mother country as well as to the countries of their post-graduation residence.

The Presidency has developed special programmes for specific regions, including the Balkan Youth School programme, which offers education in law, media, culture and other fields to tens of thousands of young people.

Recently, young people abroad have been showing growing interest in attending Turkish universities through the Turkiye Scholarships Programme. The number of scholarship recipients reached 125,000 in 2025, up from just 8,000 in 2012. Over the past 15 years, more than 1.5 million people have applied for Turkish scholarships, DHA reported.