Turks Abroad and Relative Communities (TARC) Advisory Board was the first meeting in Ankara organized by the TARC Department. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. There were a total of 63 members from USA, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Norway, the Middle East and Africa and Central Asia participated in the meeting.
TARC has 70 board members worldwide, Dr. Faruk Taban, President of Turkic American Alliance is one of the eight board members representing the US. TARC’s organizational structure divided into several departments and consequent committees. The primary mission of the organization is to promote interests of Turkish citizens living abroad and to help to preserve their cultural values and traditions.
Besides Prime Minister Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bağış and the Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Sahin attended the meeting.
Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke at the meeting and said that it is such a strategic and important decision for our communities witnessing the rise of globalization and modernity. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also made a point during the meeting and said “Our citizens in overseas help the countries in their development and paid great deal of efforts by working hard. They don’t just fighting for economic reasons but they also fight for their language and culture for many years”
Prime Minister Erdogan in his speech highlighted the significance of the Turks Abroad and Relative Communities Advisory Board at their first meeting. He also added “I hope it will be good for our communities. Turkey is economically strong and has reached the financially very high level. Turkey became such a country that other countries respect the Turkey’s opinion and take into account in all international equations”.
PM Erdogan pointed out Turkey has placed as one of the most attractive country for education and said “This success is a result of Turks Abroad and Relative Communities Advisory Board’s hard work. There were only 10,000 foreign applications applied to study in Turkey in the past; however, in 2013 the number of applicants rose to 55,000”
Prime Minister continued his speech with the topic of compulsory military service for Turkish citizens living abroad. Male Turkish citizens who live abroad may avoid serving the usual fifteen months of compulsory military service. They can serve a shorter term of military service in exchange for paying a fee. Since there has been some complains about the amount, he asked the members of the committee’s opinions on how much fee should be appropriate for those who want to avoid the long service.
