'Children's Festival' in Zenica Arena gathered around 5,500 students

(Patria) - Organized by the Yunus Emre Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 12th edition of the "Children's Festival" event was held today in the "Husejin Smajlović" Arena in Zenica.

This is one of the largest events organized by Turkey for children abroad, which this year gathered around 5,500 primary school students from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina who are learning Turkish as a second foreign language.



Numerous guests participated in the program, including representatives of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK), Prime Minister Nezir Pivić, Speaker of the Assembly Ćazim Huskić, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Mirza Mušija, Minister of Economy Samir Šibonjić.

Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Turkey also attended the event.

- I am happy that our canton and Zenica as its center hosted students learning Turkish from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are especially pleased that our Zenica has been hosting this event for years, which speaks volumes about us, our identity, and our hospitality - said Pivić.



He thanked the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey for the "excellent organization of the event".

He added that he looks forward to strengthening cooperation in other segments as well, especially in the economy, which gained a new dimension with last year's ZEPS fair, whose general partner was the Republic of Turkey.

He stated that he expects that "we will raise the bar to a higher level at ZEPS 2025 in October and further strengthen our economic cooperation".

During the festival, the children had the opportunity to learn about the rich folklore of both countries. At the end of the program, Amel Ćurić held a special concert.



At this event, which is also supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sarajevo, awards were presented to students who won first place in various competitions organized by the Yunus Emre Institute during the year.