Kuwaiti delegation discusses scholarships to Turkey

A group of Kuwaiti lawmakers visited the headquarters of the Council of Turks and Relative Communities Abroad (YTB) on Tuesday as part of a Kuwaiti-Turkish Friendship Committee talks in Turkey. Talks between the head of the Kuwaiti delegation MP Faisal Al-Shaye and President of YTB Prof. Kudret Bulbul covered accepting Kuwaiti scholarship students in Turkish colleges and universities. Bulbul discussed the role of YTB in keeping in touch with the Turkish diaspora overseas as well as offering members of foreign communities the opportunity to study inside Turkey. Each year, the body allocates thousands of seats for foreign students, mostly from educationally under-privileged nations, at higher educational establishments across Turkey. Since its inception in 1999, YTB has handed out 49,000 undergraduate and 2,000 postgraduate grants, said its chief. Bulbul added that YTB was keen on hosting Kuwaitis in the many fields of study on offer at Turkish educational facilities. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti lawmaker Al-Shaye said that the visit was aimed at taking a closer look at YTB's capabilities, and how to use this expertise in improving relations between the two sides. He commended Turkey's development over the past 12 years, which he said was clear evidence of the success of internal policies the country is assuming on all sectors. There is a belief among the Kuwaiti side on the need for cooperation with Turkey on education, sports and healthcare to grow to the level of already much developed relations on the political and economic spectrums, he suggested. The delegation of Kuwaiti lawmakers then crossed over the Bosphorus to the city of Istanbul, after an action-packed excursion at the capital saw them meet parliament speaker Cemil Cecik, Minister of Youth and Sports Akif Kilic and Turkish members of the Friendship Committee. In Turkey's largest city, they will continue their visits and discussions aimed at educational cooperation