The 2025 Türkiye Migration Conference has Commenced With International Participation

The 2025 Türkiye Migration Conference, bringing together scientific research on migration, its societal impacts, and migration policies, has commenced at Istanbul Beykent University.

Istanbul Beykent University Rector Prof. Dr. Volkan Öngel, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, and International British Business School Director Prof. Dr. İbrahim Sirkeci delivered the opening remarks at the Türkiye Migration Conference, which began yesterday at Istanbul Beykent University and will continue for three days. The conference, bringing together academics, members of non-governmental organisations, local and national authorities, and students, commenced with panel discussions on various migration-related topics. The conference, running until 20 February, will explore various dimensions of migration and its impact on communities through new research and scientific perspectives.

“Migration issues will be discussed with its scientific aspects.”

Istanbul Beykent University Rector Prof. Dr. Volkan Öngel, providing insight into the conference’s content, stated: “At the 2025 Türkiye Migration Conference, we have come together to examine migration—one of the most significant issues in social sciences—from a scientific perspective. Our conference is a three-day programme. We have dedicated one whole day to internal migration. Internal migration and its related factors, both in Türkiye and globally, will be discussed. Migrants and related issues, which hold a significant place in international law, will also be addressed. On the final day, regional planning elements will be incorporated into the discussions, and we plan to organise a session that will feature significant contributions from local authorities. Thus, the conference will be structured over three days, focusing on three main areas.”

“We have the opportunity to explore migration from various disciplinary perspectives.”

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gökay Özerim, one of the panellists, stated: “When we discuss migration, we are essentially addressing an interdisciplinary issue that impacts numerous fields. The conference organised at Istanbul Beykent University is highly stimulating in this regard. Türkiye is one of the countries with the most extensive international experience in migration. Therefore, it is crucial that we share this experience both nationally and internationally and establish platforms for discussion. For this reason, we come together with academics and various stakeholders through activities like these. At the same time, we have the opportunity to hear about our experiences from the perspectives of different disciplines.”

Referring to the global wave of migration, Prof. Dr. Özerim continued with the following remarks:

“International migration and refugees have become significant issues on a global scale. However, there is a great deal of information pollution surrounding this issue. To counter this, not only academia but also public and media organisations, as well as local administrations, should collaborate and work together on this issue. This conference is one such example of collaboration. There is always a need for efforts to clarify the issue by producing resources on this topic.”

"With this conference, we aim to bring all actors together."

Prof. Dr. Deniz Yetkin Aker, Faculty Member of Istanbul Beykent University’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, also spoke about the purpose of the conference, stating: “At the Türkiye Migration Conference, we aim to bring together researchers, public institutions, and migrant non-governmental organisations from Türkiye, Syria, and other countries to discuss the various aspects of migration, both outgoing from and incoming to Türkiye, with all involved actors. I hope that we are gradually achieving this with what is almost the largest international conference in Türkiye, which we are organising here.”

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