The opening ceremony of the ceramic workshop Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) established at Community College Spektri in Georgia was inaugurated.
In the opening ceremony of the ceramic workshop, which was established with TİKA’s support, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Tbilisi, Ali Kaan Orbay, Vice President of TİKA, Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz, Principal of Community College Spektri, Mate Takidze, President of the Ministry of Education And Science of Georgia Vocational Education Development Department Tamar Kvinikadze, and students were present.
In his speech, Ambassador Orbay expressed that he was happy to be attending the opening ceremony and thanked TİKA for supporting the school.
Orbay stated that Türkiye has a lot of experience in ceramic production and that they are ready to share these experiences with Georgian experts.
Orbay emphasized that there are vast opportunities enabling the two countries to cooperate in ceramic production, just like in various other fields. He stated: “Every initiative that will serve the development and welfare of Georgia is precious to us. It makes us proud and happy to be a part of this.”
Vice President of TİKA, Yorulmaz, expressed how glad they are to be cooperating with this school, which is so important for Georgia as well. He stated: “TİKA will proudly continue this cooperation.”
Yorulmaz emphasized that the development of Georgia and providing employment there is greatly important for Türkiye as well. He also stated that the students who shape the material while making ceramics will also play a role in strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
After the opening ceremony of the workshop, the equipment of which is also provided by TİKA, invitees viewed the students’ ceramic works.
TİKA opens a Daycare center and a technology class
Yesterday, the Vice President of TİKA, Yorulmaz, attended two other opening ceremonies during his visit to Georgia as well.
The kindergarten and daycare center in Duisi village, which is in the Kakheti region of Georgia was inaugurated and Türkiye’s ambassador to Tbilisi, Ali Kaan Orbay, and Georgian authorities were present at the ceremony.
In the town of Marneuli, which is 40 kilometres away from Tbilisi, the technology class in the Integration Center for Georgian Azerbaijanis was opened as well.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided renewal and equipment support to the Faculty of Pedagogy and Faculty of Fine Arts within Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in North Macedonia.
Opening ceremony of the Renewal and Equipment of the Lecture Hall of Kliment Ohridski Faculty of Pedagogy within Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje Project was attended by the Former Turkish Parliamentary Speaker, Mustafa Şentop; TİKA’s Vice President, Mahmut Çevik; and Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy, Prof. Dr. Biljana Kamçevska, along with representatives of Turkish institutions and organizations in the country, academic staff, and students.
With the project, the lecture hall beneficiary for 360 students was renewed, the needed equipment was provided, and it was put into service for the university in the week of the “December 21 Day of Turkish Language Teaching”.
The program, held with the moderation of the former Minister of State of North Macedonia and faculty member Prof. Dr. Adnan Kahil, started with a ribbon cutting.
In his speech there, the Former Turkish Parliamentary Speaker, Şentop, celebrated the December 21 Day of Turkish Language Teaching in North Macedonia, stating that he has been coming to Skopje each year for 15 years on this wise.
Şentop noted that Türkiye has supported North Macedonia, stood by her, and supported her membership to many international institutions and organizations since the first day she declared her independence and that they will continue this support in the future.
Stating that TİKA, which renewed this lecture hall, is an institution that shows solid examples of the cooperation between Türkiye and North Macedonia, Şentop noted that TİKA is the soft hand and the most important international brand of Türkiye’s understanding of humane and conscious foreign policy all across the globe.
Stating that there still are people who are treated differently because of their religion, language, and race differences in other places of the world, such as Europe and America, Şentop continued:
“We lived together as brothers and sisters for 600 years despite our differences in language, faith, religion, and ethnicity. The Republic of North Macedonia is carrying on and continuing this mindset. As people who have the culture of living together in peace, we were able to practice the co-existence their books describe as the ideal for hundreds of years, making it a reality. Therefore, we hold this nice attitude and behavior of the Republic of North Macedonia and our beautiful history as an example to many countries.”
Noting that the world is standing on the edge of a quite important change, Şentop stated: “The international order of the 20th century and the paradigms about the world and humanity are now crushed. The 20th century is the most bloody century in world history. Europeans have killed more than 100 million people, solely during World Wars 1 and 2. This order, which was built upon blood and tears, caused conflict, massacre, and genocide in many countries during the second part of the 20th century. We still see the extent of it. We are seeing it in the war between Russia and Ukraine. We are seeing it in the genocide Israel commits in Palestine.”
Stating that the international order and its institutions, such as the United Nations, have been unable to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine and the genocide Israel commits in Palestine and Gaza, Şentop made an evaluation: “Politicians of the Western countries have been standing with the oppressors, who commit the massacre, instead of the oppressed and the persecuted.”
TİKA’s Vice President, Mahmut Çevik, reminded that the faculty is giving education in Macedonian, Albanian, and Turkish languages and stated: “The most important need of the region is the continuation of the culture of living together, that it is kept alive and sustainable. I hope in this lecture hall, new generations who will contribute to the peace and tranquility of the region and develop the culture of living together will be raised in the upcoming periods and semesters, and these generations will contribute to the regional and global peace, both in this region and in Türkiye.”
Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy, Kamçevska, mentioning his studies in the faculty, stated: “I would like to thank TİKA for the raised fund and the efforts to turn our lecture hall into an area in which we can organize various events and hold educational activities with our students.”
Equipment of the Faculty of Fine Arts Project
Also, the opening of the “Multimedia Lecture Laboratory” installed in the Faculty of Fine Arts of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje was held by TİKA.
The opening ceremony of the multimedia laboratory, which was installed and equipped by TİKA to enable the students to receive education under better conditions, was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Prof. Dr. Slavitsa Yaneşlieva; the Former Dean, Bedi İbrahim; TİKA’s Vice President, Dr. Mahmut Çevik; representatives of Turkish organizations and institutions; academic staff of the faculty; and the students.
In his speech during the opening, Çevik stated that TİKA has carried out approximately 1,200 projects in North Macedonia for 18 years.
Çevik stated: “We supported the renewal and equipment of the Multimedia Laboratory in the Faculty of Fine Art of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, the longest-established university in North Macedonia. We enabled the students we had just seen to receive a high-quality education as craftspeople, artists, and painters through developing the fundamentals of the education and the physical conditions.”
Janeşlieva stated: “It is a great honor to be cooperating with TİKA. This is an excellent and promising project that is generally helpful for higher education. Having a modern laboratory that allows us to follow up-to-date education in multimedia arts and the field of new media and to give our students an up-to-date education is quite important. Because this helps staff of higher quality, who go hand in hand with modern trends, to emerge.”
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided a shuttle vehicle for the transportation service provided to the hemodialysis patients of Lukavac Medical Center, which is providing healthcare in the city of Lukavac.
TİKA provided 1 shuttle vehicle to Lukavac Medical Center, in which 280 people are working and approximately 50 thousand people are receiving healthcare and which has been active since 1984, to enable the hemodialysis patients to be transferred to the treatment centers in the cities of Tuzla and Gračanica safely and on time.
The delivery ceremony was attended by the Minister of Health of Tuzla Canton, Duşanka Beçiroviç; TİKA’s Coordinator in Sarajevo, Erdinç Işık; Mayor of Lukavac, Edin Deliç; Deputy General Director of Lukavac Medical Center, Dr. Sedija Arapçiç; council members of Tuzla Canton; hemodialysis patients; and workers of the medical center.
Minister of Health of Tuzla Canton, Beçiroviç, presented his thanks to the Republic of Türkiye and TİKA in the name of Tuzla Canton’s government and Ministry of Health of Tuzla Canton, which he is the head of.
Deputy General Director of Lukavac Medical Center, Arapçiç, stated that the vehicle provided by TİKA will be put into service on the same day, noting that the new vehicle will be quite valuable not only for the patients but also for the medical center workers.
Hajrudin Delagic, who made a speech in the name of the hemodialysis patients, stated that he has been on hemodialysis treatment for 24 years, that this sickness is not just a basic kidney disease and the conditions of the vehicle the patients are traveling on every day to continue treatment can have a positive or negative effect on their treatment process.
With support from Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the “Vocational Training Center and Shelter for Women” was opened in Tajikistan to help women who lost their strength in social life and who were subjected to violence.
With the cooperation of TİKA and Public Organization Korvoni Umed, the “Vocational Training Center and Shelter for Women” was opened in Tajikistan’s capital city, Dushanbe.
The opening ceremony of the project was attended by TİKA’s Head of the Department for Central Asia and Caucasus, Dr. Ali Özgün Öztürk; Director of Modular Training Center of Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mansur Yormatov; Director of Public Organization Korvoni Umed, Umeda Sadr; and invitees.
“Vocational Training Center and Shelter for Women”, which was opened in Tajikistan to help women who lost their strength in social life and who were subjected to violence, was renewed and equipped. Also, a playground was installed to enable the children of the women who receive training in the center to have a productive time.
Within the scope of the project, accommodation and psychological and legal support services are provided for the women who were subjected to violence, were left desolate due to divorce at an early age or were not able to receive formal training due to various reasons.
In the center, training is given in the fields of needlecraft, jewelry design, and pastry to contribute to women acquiring a profession. With the supported project, the goal is to have approximately 200 women acquire a profession each year.
In the 100th Year of Diplomatic Relations Between Türkiye and Albania, TİKA planted trees to make the new pedestrian way close to the Farka Lake, in the capital city, Tirana, greener as a sign of eternal friendship.
Since 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of both the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye and the diplomatic relations between Albania – Türkiye, which started with the “Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation” signed on December 15, 1923, between the two countries; trees were planted on the sides of the pedestrian way close to the Farka Lake in Tirana as a sign of the strengthened bond between the countries.
The planting ceremony of the trees was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Tirana, Tayyar Kağan Atay; Deputy Mayor of Tirana, Andi Sefer; Director General of the Parks and Recreation Agency, Anisa Ruseti; authorities from TİKA’s Tirana Program Coordination Office, and employees of the Municipality of Tirana.
An area of 1200 sq meters was planted with trees
Farka Lake, which is in the southern and southwestern part of Tirana, stands out as one of the most important areas that need planting to serve the public for social activities such as various sports activities, playground for children, various art activities, concerts, etc. after Grand Park of Tirana (PMLAT). Within the scope of the project carried out with the cooperation of the Municipality of Tirana Parks and Recreation Agency and TİKA, 290 ornamental trees were provided for the forestation of the 1200 sq meters area.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) installed a training kitchen and training hall for women in Hebron, Palestine.
Within the scope of the project carried out with the cooperation of TİKA and Hebron Chamber of Commerce, a training kitchen and training hall were installed for women who make dishes from traditional Turkish cuisine.
The project carried out in cooperation with the South Hebron Chamber of Commerce, headquartered in Ad-Dhahiriya, aims to increase the participation of unemployed women and young people in the labor force and to develop the capacities of currently employed women.
In his speech during the opening ceremony, the Speaker of the Chamber of Commerce of South Hebron, Eyüp Shihade El-Hawamde, mentioned their support of the “culture palace and marketplace” projects TİKA carried out in the region earlier and expressed his thanks to TİKA and Türkiye for this project towards women’s empowerment.
In the first-ever Turkish cuisine training center in Palestine, 50 people, women and young people in need from urban areas, will be given theoretical and practical training each year.
About South Herbon Chamber of Commerce
South Hebron Chamber of Commerce, headquartered in Ad-Dhahiriya, has been carrying out activities to increase the participation of unemployed women and young people in the labor force and to develop the capacities of currently employed women in the region with a population of 350 thousand since 2004.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided food aid to 1,500 families in need who live in the refugee camps and settlements in and around the region of Sittwe, Arakan, a state of Myanmar.
According to the official data shared by the United Nations in Myanmar’s region of Arakan, approximately 231 thousand people are living in the refugee camps. Especially, Cyclone Mocha, which happened in May this year, caused serious damage to approximately 140 thousand Aracanese people who live in the refugee camps in Sittwe.
Rohingya refugees, who are struggling to survive without basic infrastructure and healthcare, face serious restrictions to have access to even staple foods.
Food aid TİKA provided is an important support to the families who live in the region. The families who are struggling to have access to staple foods presented their thanks to TİKA and Türkiye.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) renewed the fishpond of Mehandan Orphanage in the province of Mehandan, Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon, and provided equipment support.
The opening ceremony of the fishponds was attended by the Second Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Yaounde, Lebriz Aytek Artunay; Senator of Southwest Region of Cameroon, Ekoko Mukete; TİKA’s Coordinator in Yaounde, Burak Özden; and the invitees.
TİKA’s Coordinator in Yaounde, Özden, stated that their goal with the renewed fishponds is to support children’s healthy and adequate nutrition and to enable the orphanage to pay for its expenses through selling the extra fish.
Within the project, two fishponds were renewed with modern methods, and juvenile fish, fish feed, and the necessary equipment and supplies were delivered to the orphanage administration. Also, the drying oven that was built enabled the produced fish to be contained for long periods with traditional methods.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) helped build an Electric-Electronic Vocational Training Workshop at Katembe Vocational School in Mozambique’s village of Katembe.
The project, which was carried out with the cooperation of TİKA and the Republic of Mozambique’s Secretary of State for Youth and Employment, aims to enable the young people of the region to have more efficient access to vocational and technical training services.
The maintenance, renewal, construction works, and equipment for training TİKA provided will enable the workshop to be used efficiently.
Within the scope of the project, vocational training programs will be organized for approximately 200 students each year, enabling young people to improve their skills in the field of electric-electronic.
Mozambique’s Secretary of State for Youth and Employment Director of Vocational Training, Leo Elias Jamal, presented his thanks for the support TİKA provided and stated that the project is quite important for the employment of young people in the region of Katembe and for the contribution to qualified workforce.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided the equipment needed for chicken production to Turkish Ahiskan and Georgian families.
With the cooperation of TİKA and the World Union of Ahiska Turks (DATÜB), the equipment needed for chicken production was provided to 18 Turkish Ahiskan and Georgian families who live in the cities of Tbilisi, Ozurgeti, Gori, and Akhaltsikhe. Within the scope of the project, the families were provided with egg incubators, brooders, generators, and supplies needed for chicken production. Also, Turkish Ahiskan and Georgian families were given training by the experts to increase egg and chick production.
“Memorandum of Understanding”, which includes cooperation in various fields, was signed between Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Organization of Turkic States, with a ceremony hosted at OTS headquarters in Istanbul.
The memorandum of understanding signed between the Organization of Turkic States Secretary General, Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliyev, and President of TİKA, Serkan Kayalar, aims to strengthen and improve the cooperation between institutions.
In his speech during the signing ceremony, Ambassador Omuraliyev stated that the memorandum signs the beginning of a strategic partnership that will aim to encourage cooperation and sharing of information and experiences.
Noting that an extensive frame that covers the common interests and desires of OTS and TİKA towards regional development has been determined, Omuraliyev stated:
“The goal of this memorandum is clear. It is to strengthen cooperation, improve the partnerships on regional development, and commonly find solutions for the challenges our member states face. With this cooperation, we aim to contribute to internationally accepted development goals, including Sustainable Development Goals, and to create a synergy that will positively impact the region’s socioeconomic landscape.”
Omuraliyev noted that the memorandum of understanding reflects on the decisiveness of handling development in various fields of cooperation, such as health, education, trade, and environment, and that the memorandum is quite extensive and embodies the spirit of cooperation.
“We have taken an important step”
In his speech during the signing ceremony, President of TİKA, Kayalar, stated that the Turkic world has special importance, as it is the area in which the establishment tale of TİKA first started.
Stating that TİKA quickly institutionalized and started to install offices in the countries of the Turkic world, which became independent in 1992, and that it has been carrying out projects for the prosperity of the Turkic world for more than 30 years, Kayalar noted that today, the Turkic world has reached to a whole other level both on an institutional sense and on a regional sense, and it is so pleasing to see the level the Turkic world has reached, both on economy and on their contribution to the matters around the world.
Noting that OTS is quite important for the Turkic world, Kayalar stated: “Heads of the state, ministers of exterior affairs, secretary generals, are all taking such valuable actions for the Turkic states. We, as TİKA, have offices in all of the states, both member states and observers. Through our offices, we are on the field, and also, with the memorandum of understanding today, we hopefully have taken an important step with the member states of OTS on development cooperation and on common projects that can be carried out in every field of development.”
Referring to “Turkic World Vision 2040”, Kayalar emphasized that he believes the projects that will be carried out within the frame of the memorandum will contribute to this vision and Sustainable Development Goals.
Kayalar stated that the efforts towards deepening and diversifying the cooperation will continue.
The signed protocol is planned to work on strengthening the cooperation between the member states within “Sustainable Development” goals and to form various cooperation and development partnerships to encourage regional development, along with enabling the institutions to share information and experiences among themselves on various fields; such as especially health, education, urban development and reduction of poverty, elimination of social gender inequality, transportation, trade, energy, water and sanitation, industry and SME, agriculture and food security, and also tourism, urban development, climate change, and protection of environment.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) was granted an award for the help and support provided in Kyrgyzstan’s health sector.
With the contribution of Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Health, Pharmaceutical and Medical Activity Consulting Company (Medpharm) held “Exemplary 2023 Award Ceremony” in Filarmoni Public Concert Hall in Bishkek, the capital city.
The award ceremony was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyz Republic, Edil Baisalov; Minister of Health, Alımkadır Beyşenaliyev; Vice President of Kyrgyz State Pharmacy Institution, Aybek Cumakayev; Speaker of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyzstan, Temir Sariyev; Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bishkek, Ahmet Sadık Doğan; TİKA’s Coordinator in Bishkek, Mehmet Bodur; along with executives from the institutions and companies that are active in country’s health sector, healthcare workers, representatives from non-profit organizations, and invitees.
During the ceremony, the second of which was held this year, the awards were given to persons and institutions that had unique and exemplary services in the field of health.
TİKA was granted the “Exemplary 2023” award in the category of “Kyrgyz Republic Support for Health Sector”. The award was given to TİKA’s Coordinator in Bishkek, Mehmet Bodur, by Cabinet Deputy Chairman, Baysalov.
