Politicians attending the event organized by Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, made Turkish dumblings, manti.

At the Turkish gastronomy event organized by YEI on March 3rd, 2024, Belgian politicians from different parties came together around the table under the guidance of Turkish chefs.

The politicians, who first kneaded the dough, then rolled out the manti, cooked it, and finally poured the sauce and tasted what they had prepared, had a pleasant time.

YEI Belgium Coordinator Bekir Aydin said in his statement that their aim is to create a positive agenda through Turkish gastronomy, bring together Belgian politicians from different parties and promote Turkish culture.

"Gastronomy has a unifying power. It is an apolitical field. Belgium loves Turkish food. We saw that there was a lot of interest. For this reason, we wanted to move forward through Turkish gastronomy." Aydın said.

"Turkish culture has an important place in Brussels"

Rudi Vervoort, Prime Minister of the Brussels Capital Region, one of the regional governments in Belgium, stated that Brussels is a culturally diverse city and emphasized that city residents should get to know each other and discover Brussels.

Pointing out that every event aimed at recognizing Turkish culture should be honored, "Turkish culture plays an important role in Brussels. First of all, in terms of population presence, but also in terms of economic, social and cultural existence, Turkish culture is important for Brussels." Vervoort said.

Belgian Federal Parliament Member and Socialist Party Group Leader Ahmed Laaouej also stated that he was honored to taste the dishes of Turkish gastronomy.

Stating that Turkish culture is very important for Brussels, "I am very happy to be here with my Turkish friends." Laaouej said.

Capital Brussels Region Deputy Françoise Schepmans stated that the experience of cooking Turkish food was new for her and expressed that she was happy to be a part of the event.

Brussels Consul General Umut Deniz, Capital Brussels Region Deputy Sadık Köksal, Ghent Municipality Council Member Mehmet Sadık Karanfil, European Union (EU) Commission officials and many Turkish and Belgian guests attended the event.

At the end of the event, the guests tasted manti and other delicacies from Turkish cuisine, accompanied by a Turkish music concert on the piano.