Yunus Emre Institute (Turkish: Yunus Emre Enstitüsü) is a world-wide non-profit organization created by the Turkish government in 2007. Named after the famous 14th-century poet Yunus Emre, it aims to promote the Turkish language and the culture around the world. It has been regarded as a Turkish soft power institution and was created via a decree by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The activities, branching, and networking of the institute, has most intensely been centered in and around the Balkans region.