The event “EU Meetings with Youth” organized by the Faculty of Political Sciences of Istanbul Medeniyet University was held on Monday, May 31, between 14:30 and 16:00, with the participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Faruk KAYMAKCI, Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin ÇELİK, and valued EU Presidency bureaucrats.
In addition to Turkey-EU Relations, ErasmusYouth Programs, College of Europe and Jean Monnet Scholarship Programs, and career opportunities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also discussed. The panel was moderated by the head of IMU International Relations Department Prof. Dr. Özden Zeynep OKTAV.
In the program, the main problems in Turkey-EU Relations were evaluated in terms of economic development, religion, geographical and population size, relations with neighbors, and Copenhagen Criteria. While underlining the main difficulties regarding Turkey’s membership process, KAYMAKCI emphasized the benefits that this membership will create for both the EU and Turkey, as an answer to the question of why membership is necessary for our country. He put forward efficient suggestions about the problems that still exist in relations and how these problems can be solved in the long run. Deputy Minister underlined the importance for the youth ofself-development, improving foreign language mastery, and carrying out activities that would be of social benefit. KAYMAKCI also answered the questions of our students regarding Turkey-EU Relations and emphasized what an important role young people had in this process. The bureaucrats of the Ministry for EU Affairs, on the other hand, mentioned educational financial aid opportunities such as Erasmus-Youth Programs, College of Europe/Jean Monnet Scholarship Programs and career opportunities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and made important presentations on how to benefit from these opportunities.
