Yunus Emre Foundation Advisory Committee Meeting was held in Ankara on March 23^rd, Wednesday 2016.

Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, the first institution organised to carry out the mission of Yunus Emre Foundation established in 2007 to promote Turkish language, history, culture and arts, and became operational in 2009, entered its seventh operation year. In the face of global political turmoil, Yunus Emre Enstitüsü that set off from the idea that reviving Anatolia's ancient civilization background and transferring this to other regions without such a background may provide a solution to current problems world experiences, gathered Advisory Committee members in Ankara Hilton Hotel to consult the new routes to be mapped.

The meeting held on March 23^rd Wednesday was attended by prominent Turkish academicians, writers, bureaucrats, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Board members that took the floor in the sessions with titles “Expansion Policies and Deepening” and “Strategic Communication and Corporate Vision” made valuable contributions in shaping the future vision of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü. The Institute's operations in the past seven years were also discussed in the meeting opened by the speech of Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism Deputy Secretary Ali Şahin. Şahin revealed Foundation's establishment vision in his speech, and spoke as follows: “We belong to a nation that has culturally and politically influenced various regions throughout the history. Turkey's presence in the world cannot be construed merely as political. Locals' impressions on Turkey in countries we hold operations, will permanently effect these societies. Yunus Emre Enstitüsü was established for these impressions to contain also the cultural aspect and the reflections of our civilization. Institute became a major actor in Turkish cultural diplomacy in a very short time. We need the consensus of Advisory Committee members for the Institute to continue its operations in a more healthy and productive fashion. In this context, we wish this important meeting to be beneficial, and I greet all of you with respect.”

Ali Şahin mentioned the establishment mission of Yunus Emre Foundation and addressed the significance of Turkey in the field of cultural diplomacy. Following Şahin's speech, Head of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş made an introduction for Advisory Committee Meeting, and presented Yunus Emre Enstitüsü's mission and vision in his speech specific to Advisory Board Meeting: “As Yunus Emre Enstitüsü enters its seventh operation year, we would like to determine the road map of our Institute together with you. Our Institute was established to introduce to the world Turkish culture constructed by our civilization throughout centuries. We work towards strengthening our cultural diplomacy with the institute and organizations established by Republic of Turkey with this purpose. The main goal of our Institute is to bring to the world what is ours and promote it to people of the world. In order to attain this goal and prove to the world that we have something to say, we must adopt a people-oriented approach and cohabit with common values without discriminating based on religion, language and race. In today's meeting, we have gathered to consult our future vision in line with this principle and to get your valued opinions and suggestions. So we wish to talk less and listen more of what you have to express, and shape our new courses with your opinions.”

Institute Vice President Dr. Şaban Çobanoğlu made the opening speech of the session titled “Expansion and Deepening Policies”. Session moderator Prof. Dr. Nurhan Atasoy who took the stage after Çobanoğlu, underlined that Yunus Emre Enstitüsü has come a long way in seven years and centres must be opened also in Africa and America continents. She marked that Turcology departments opened or supported by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü in universities around the world, play a major role in this context. In “Expansion and Deepening Policies” session, topics such as strategic goals to actualise as of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü's seventh year of operation by keeping the priorities of expanding and deepening, reviewing language and culture polices, and the need for Yunus Emre Enstitüsü to create new centres of attraction in the regions it is active in, were discussed.

The second session of Yunus Emre Foundation Advisory Board Committee Meeting, “Strategic Communication and Corporate Vision” session opened with a speech by Institute's Vice President Dr. Ebubekir Ceylan. Ceylan spoke as follows: “We do not want the activities we organize to get lost in the everyday tumult, but for them to find place in the agendas of the segments we reach and also in the big picture concerning international agenda. As we enter our seventh operation year, we gathered you, our esteemed Advisory Committee members here, and we would like to determine a new course with your opinions by minding the appearance-substance balance. We pay utmost attention to UNESCO anniversaries for instance with predetermined concepts. We held various activities about our assets as Evliya Çelebi, Matrakçı Nasuh, Piri Reis, Itri in recent years. We aim to reach locals, youth and individuals with leadership skills who can function as a bridge between the two countries in the countries where we carry out operations.” Following his speech, Ceylan gave the floor to committee members. 

Academicians, intellectuals and bureaucrats with expertise in their fields such as İlber Ortaylı, Rasim Özdenören, Lale Ülker, M. Öcal Oğuz, Kudret Bülbül and Ömer Bolat openly expressed their opinions on the future vision of Yunus Emre Institutesü in the Advisory Committee Meeting, and after presenting their suggestions and proposals concerning the topics discussed in the meeting, the event ended with a photo shoot.