The 1st International Bosniak Summit took place in Bayrampaşa, Istanbul, hosted by the Turkey Bosnia Sandžak Association, founded by Bosniaks living in Turkey. The summit opened with a speech by Prof. Dr. Sedat Ziyade, President of the Association. Distinguished speakers included Mr. Mehmet Pargan, Advisor to the Member of BiH Presidency, Dr. Denis Bećirović; Mr. Hasan Mutlu, Mayor of Bayrampaşa; Mr. Şekib Avdagiç, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce; and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım, Rector of the International University of Sarajevo (IUS).
In his speech, Prof. Yıldırım discussed the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, focusing on differences between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska, as well as variations among FBiH cantons.
He highlighted educational collaborations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey, including high school partnerships, scholarships from YTB (Presidency for Turks Abroad) and TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency), Matrakçı STEM workshops, the "My Choice is Turkish" Project by the Yunus Emre Institute, and schools founded by the Turkish Maarif Foundation.
Prof. Yıldırım also addressed the higher education systems in both countries, emphasizing the role of accreditation agencies in ensuring educational quality. He acknowledged challenges in project implementation due to political and bureaucratic obstacles but advocated strongly for future efforts to overcome these challenges.
Prof. Yıldırım emphasized that IUS is a key success story in Bosnia and Herzegovina-Turkey relations. He noted that IUS has been providing quality education in English for 20 years and has been ranked as the best private university in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the past seven years by Webometrics. He also pointed out that Sarajevo as a calm, affordable, and safe city offers an ideal living environment for students.
Looking to the future, Prof. Yıldırım announced that the SEDEF Foundation plans to expand IUS facilities to accommodate its growing student population. He also mentioned plans for new study programs and the expansion of the IUS Double Diploma programs in collaboration with prestigious Turkish universities, offering students significant academic and career benefits.
The summit brought together prominent Bosniak community representatives, academics, business leaders, and cultural figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sandžak, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Kosovo.
The 1st International Bosniak Summit served as an important platform for discussing education, collaboration, and the shared future of Bosniak communities worldwide.
