The Turkic Council First Youth Festival hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan between 27 and 30 September 2016 in Azerbaijan’s city of Ganja came to an end with the closing ceremony held on 29 September 2016.
Foreign delegations that were present at Ganja in the scope of the European Youth Festival also took part in the closing ceremony. The ceremony was also attended by the Governor of Ganja Elmar Veliyev.
In the scope of three-day Festival, the delegations took trips to Ganja city center and to places of natural, historical or cultural value in the city surroundings.
The participating countries presented a concert of folk dancing and performing arts during the Turkic Council Youth Concert that was held in the evening of 28 September. A large turnout was secured from the people of Ganja and high state officials who watched the concert with great appreciation.
At the last day of the program, the youth conducted a lively brainstorming session on such topics as the problems of the youth, possible solutions as well as the prospective measures that might be taken under the umbrella of the Turkic Council on youth.
Young participants were divided into mixed groups and made joint presentations on the abovementioned topics. A report on the outcomes of the brainstorming session displaying problems encountered by youth in the Turkic Council countries and in the region as well as recommendations regarding such problems will be submitted to the member states.
On the other hand, a photo exhibition showcasing the examples of countries’ history, geography and cultural beauties was held on 29 September in the Ganja Youth Centre.
The Festival ended in the evening of the same day with a Closing Ceremony and the National Cuisine Night where the participating countries presented examples of their native dishes. Young participants received Certificates bearing signatures of Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Azad Rahimov and the Secretary General of the Turkic Council Ambassador Ramil Hasanov.
The Turkic Council Youth Festival, held with the participation of about 100 youngsters from the member states of the Turkic Council, as well as Uzbekistan and Qatar, gathering together the youngsters sharing common civilization, history and cultural heritage and aiming at strengthening ties of friendship and fraternity among the youngsters and societies will continue on rotational basis among the member states.