NATO Summit Dialogues event close with focus on youth in security

A closing session was held in Ankara as part of the NATO Summit Dialogues event organized by the Turkish Atlantic Council and Hariciye Foreign Policy and Security Research Center.

The program, hosted by the Turkish Industry and Business Association, concluded with remarks by Francisco Nobre, president of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA), and Emir Abbas Gurbuz, secretary-general of ATA Türkiye.

Nobre said YATA has worked for 30 years to bring civil society together with people engaged in security and defense issues, while also reaching beyond that role to broader segments of society.

He said YATA’s work is built on three main goals: educating, empowering and integrating young people.

Young people should not only listen and learn, but also become actors who actively contribute to policy and decision-making processes, Nobre said.

He said civil society engagement should be approached with this understanding and thanked the institutions that contributed to preparing the event.

Gurbuz also briefed participants on the preparation and organization of the program, extending thanks to all stakeholders and partner organizations that supported the event.