A festival will be organized on the 60th anniversary of the Migration Agreement between Belgium and Turkey

Press conference was held for the Gurbet Kuşu Festival, which will be organized in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Migration Agreement signed between Turkey and Belgium. Belgium Consul General Tim Van Anderlecht, emphasizing the impact of the agreement on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, stated, ‘In every family, the age of 60 is an important period, meaning 3 generations. This agreement signed back in the day has actually influenced the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The agreement also marked a beginning that enabled many people to establish relationships between the two countries.’ The 60th anniversary of the Migration Agreement signed between Turkey and Belgium on July 16, 1964 will be celebrated with a festival held on June 29. A press conference for the ‘Gurbet Kuşu Festival’ to be organized on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the agreement was held in Taksim. Belgium Consul General Tim Van Anderlecht, speaking at the meeting, said, ‘We organized this festival on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the migration agreement between Turkey and Belgium. In every family, the age of 60 is an important period, meaning 3 generations. This agreement signed back in the day has actually had an impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The agreement also marked a beginning that enabled many people to establish relationships between the two countries. The purpose of the festival is to celebrate the 60th anniversary of this agreement and to introduce and bring together individuals who have achieved success in Belgium and Turkey. Among our artists, three of them have Turkish and Belgian origins. Ali Pınar is both an actor and a musician. Kubat, as you know, is a musician. Doğukan Manço is a DJ and also the son of Barış Manço. Through the festival, we want to introduce Belgium a bit. We want to introduce that Belgium is open to a wide range of people, accepting individuals from different backgrounds worldwide. The entrance to our festival is free. If you want to participate, it is enough to register through the link on our consulate’s Instagram page. Visitors can taste various Belgian dishes. Families can also come with their children. The 60th anniversary means 3 generations, and we have various activities for all ages. No political figures were invited to the festival. Belgium’s term as the rotating presidency of the European Union will end at the end of June. There has been a new election. Our politicians are busy forming a new government. I believe that after the new government is formed, they will definitely make a visit once they take over their duties.’
“There is an approximately $13 billion trade volume between Belgium and Turkey” Belgium Consul General Anderlecht, pointing out that the economic relations between Belgium and Turkey are good, stated, ‘The relations with Turkey are good. One of the reasons for this is that there is a significant Turkish community in Belgium and a significant Belgian community in Turkey. The presence of these people naturally contributes to the relations. Regarding visas, we are constantly trying to increase our capacity. Because the demand in Turkey is very high. We are doing our best to meet the demands. Whether it is business people or students, there are no longer waiting times. Things are moving quickly. There are slightly longer waits for family reunification visas. This issue will be resolved soon. Our economic relations are in very good shape. There is an approximately $13 billion trade volume between Belgium and Turkey. In terms of the European Union, we are the 5th largest trading partner for Turkey, following much larger countries. If we look at it per capita, Belgium could be the country with the highest trade volume with Turkey. Thanks to both the close relations between individuals and the size of our commercial relations, Belgium ranks as the 8th significant investor in Turkey.’
‘The number of visas issued to Belgium is constantly increasing’ Anderlecht stated that there is an increase in the number of visas issued to Belgium, ‘I came in August 2022. We broke a record in the number of visas issued in 2022. We further increased this record in 2023. In 2024, we plan to increase it by 50%. The number of visas issued is constantly increasing. We are doing our best. We will continue to increase capacity until a balance is reached between supply and demand. Being a Consul General in Turkey is truly impressive. Our duty is very intense because there are many Belgian citizens living in Turkey. Istanbul is the economic capital of Turkey. The majority of Belgian companies with investments in Turkey have their headquarters in Istanbul. Also, Istanbul is an ideal city for organizing high-level cultural events. Providing all the facilities to enable a Consul General to do his job properly is important for us.’