10th AK Parti Youth Festival, Istanbul/Kocaeli, Turkey
19 - 22 May 2011
EDS Delegation headed by Chairman Bence Bauer, Vice-chairman for External Representation and Membership, Juraj Antal and Bullseye Editor-in-Chief Sandra Falkowska attended the 10th Youth Festival organized by the Turkish AK Parti Youth organization in Istanbul and Kocaeli.
EDS delegation joined by the delegates from EDS member organizations from Poland, Belgium, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia enjoyed the hospitality of the Turkish organization. During these 4 days we were not only witnesses of the historical and cultural places of Istanbul, but also we met with AK Parti politicians. Other delegates of countries represented included Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Morocco, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and others.
The Chairman of the AK Parti Youth addressed us on Friday in the AK Parti Headquarters of Istanbul. On Saturday, we were welcomed by the Governor of the Istanbul region Huseyin Avni Mutlu, who was happy to see so many young people interested in Istanbul even after the European Capitol of Culture took place last year. The Youth event itself was held on Sunday 22.5.2011 in the city of Kocaeli. The stadium of 20 000 people came for the festival, a festival for the youth, to which the party sees the future. That is why they invested 25bn US dollars last year to education alone. Politicians and ministers were present and we were addressed by the Minister of Economy Nihat Ergun. Other dignitaries were present including the minister of work and social security Omer Dincer. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived later and in his speech he several times reiterated how important the next generation is for the party. He announced more spending on scholarships and best student awards. He also announced that every pupil will soon learn from e-books, as the government will provide every pupil its own electronic book reader for free.
EDS would like to express a big thank you for the organization and hosting to the AK Parti Youth. We hope to see you in future events on a regular basis.
EDS is a member association of