The MOU Signing Ceremony between the Turkic Council and the UNDP to contribute to the achievement of SDGs by taking joint actions was concluded on 24 May 2016 in Istanbul.
UN Secretary General Assistant, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS Cihan Sultanoğlu mentioned that Turkic Council selected Istanbul and Turkey as its center before UNDP Regional Office did it and thus, taking advantage to be located in the same city, the cooperation between the both organizations has been developed in a speedy way. She expressed that after co-hosting, with the Turkic Council, the conference on the role of ICT for international development held in October 2015 in Istanbul, this cooperation has found a firm and healthy basis.
Turkic Council Secretary General Ramil Hasanov, underlining the UNDP is one of the most powerful bodies of the UN put forward the strong will of the Turkic Council to enforce the collaboration with the UNDP in the period ahead.
Ambassador Hasanov expressed that they have determined the joint cooperation as a road map and these work contain areas which will contribute to the progress and development and will be profitable for all people.
After the speeches, Ms. Cihan Sultanoğlu and Ambassador Ramil Hasanov signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Ambassador Hasanov presented a shawl to Director Sultanoğlu representing the Silk Road. In return, she presented him a soccer ball with the logos of SDGs. Following the signing ceremony, a cocktail was given by the Turkic Council.
Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydın, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Ambassador İstvan Mikola, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Ambassador Musa Kulaklıkaya, Director General of SESRIC, Mr. Gabor Kiss, Ambassador of Hungary to Ankara, Mr. Gökhan Turan, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Ms. Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet & Spokesperson for the High-Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Yerkebolan Sapiyev, General Consul of Kazakhstan in Istanbul, Ms. Sara Koral Aykar, Representative of the Galatasaray Football Club, Consuls of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan in İstanbul and other diplomatic missions in Istanbul participated in the signing ceremony.
