YTB offered services to hundreds of thousands of citizens abroad through programs and activities it held in an eight-month term.

Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) held wide range of activities in various areas directed at 6.5 million Turkish citizens living abroad and conducted programs that reached hundreds of thousands of citizens in the first eight months of 2019.

GREETINGS AND FAREWELLS TO 500 THOUSAND CITIZENS

For the Turkish citizens who come to homeland from abroad for vacations, greetings and farewell programs were organized at their entries to and exits from Turkey. Within the scope of the greeting and farewell programs realized (for a 50 days’ term) in Turkey and Serbia by YTB, to this day almost 500,000 Turkish citizens were contacted.

FIRST GREETING BEYOND BORDERS

Through the collaboration of YTB and the Ministries of Interior of Turkey and Serbia, our citizens are greeted for the first time this year by Turkish police force on duty at the border gates of Serbia to Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary, along with the assigned Turkish and Serbian speaking YTB personnel and international students who receive scholarships from YTB.

400 ROAD HELP, 1,500 TRANSLATIONS

These greeting and farewell activities offered for the first time became very effective and within the scope of activities realized at Serbia, YTB personnel who know Turkish and Serbian appeared on court to help 50 Turkish citizens. While 400 Turkish citizens were offered road help, 20 citizens who experienced accidents were assisted during their hospital and court procedures. Our citizens were offered translation services during the investigations by Serbian authorities in 120 cases, whereas at customs areas, translation services were offered 1,500 times in case of disputes between Serbian customs officers and our citizens.

“WELCOME TO HOMELAND” IN PROVINCES AND DISTRICTS

Along with greetings and farewells program at the border gates, “welcome home” visits were performed by YTB in 26 provinces with high population of our citizens coming from abroad.

250 THOUSAND MATERIALS, 24 THOUSAND 882 POCKET GUIDES

The practice of POCKET GUIDES offered to citizens abroad reached a number of 24 thousand 882 users in 2019. Approximately 100 thousand citizens watched the “Rafadan Tayfa” show held in eight countries and 27 different cities. More than 250 thousand materials were distributed to Turkish citizens living abroad.

Some of the services offered by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities in the first 8 months of 2019 to hundreds of thousands of citizens are as follows:

• In total 29 Anatolian Reading Houses containing 1001 books were opened in seven different countries.

• 4 Turkish Youth Camps were organized abroad.

• 3 YTB Türkiye Internships Programs were organized.

• 145 young people had the chance to do their internships at different public institutions with YTB Türkiye Internships Program.

• Our 482 young people from 12 countries attended youth camps.

• 120 thousand citizens were offered information and referral services.

• 2,500 young people discovered the historical and cultural richness of their homeland with the Evliya Çelebi Youth Bridges program organized by YTB.

• 120 young people attended programs such as Young Leaders, Diaspora Youth Academy and Turkish Teaching Training.

• 150 people attended programs such as Human Rights Training Program and the Meetings of Legists.

• YTB provided 600 answers to legal questions and problems asked by citizens abroad and blue card holders.

• During the month of Ramadan, fast-breaking programs were organized for citizens living in 7 countries.

• European Sports and Culture Festival (ASKFEST) was organized in Hamm city of Germany at Lippenpark, an old mine in which first generation of Turkish citizens who went to Germany as workers worked. Activities in many areas from arts to sports, from culture to traditional games in the festival received great attention.

• 4,000 book sets were distributed to Turkish citizen children and youth living abroad.

• A 200,000 of TÜBİTAK’s (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) Meraklı Minik and TRT’s (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) TRT Çocuk magazines were distributed to children abroad.