Secretary General briefly informed the Minister on the joint actions that the Member Sates have taken within the framework of the Turkic Council particularly in the aftermath of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
He emphasized that thanks to its unique structure as a comprehensive instrument that would further and deepen cooperation unlike other similar regional and international organizations in a wide range of areas; the Turkic Council was able to adapt itself as an effective platform for its members to cooperate in new areas such as health and migration.
B. Amreyev also informed the Minister on the progress achieved particularly in the field of economy; with the establishment of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI), large-scale business forums organized in the last year, as well as the ongoing efforts for the establishment the Turkic Investment Fund, whose main objective is to enhance the capacities of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), including those operating in the health sector.
With regard to the pandemic, Secretary General stressed that Turkey is one of the most successful countries in the fight against COVID-19 and did not spare its much needed assistance to the brotherly Turkic States. Therefore, Secretary General underlined the significance of health cooperation for the Turkic Council Member States and the crucial role that Turkey has for the continuation of this successful partnership.
Minister Koca gave a general outlook of the international cooperation efforts of the Ministry of Health in the fight against the pandemic and particularly and underlined the close contact that Turkey has established with high level officials of the Turkic Council Member States in order to cater to their needs amidst the pandemic. The Minister stated that Turkey will continue standing by its brotherly Turkic countries at this difficult time. The Minister underlined that this is the time to act together and the Turkic Council is a valuable platform that will ensure the collective action of in the Turkic World.
With that in mind, the Minister said that the necessary work has been carried out in order to establish multilateral cooperation among the Member and Observer States in the field of health as per to the instruction of the Heads of States given at the extraordinary Summit and a set of meetings has been organized in the direction of exchanging best practices and experiences, conducting vaccine studies, and establishing a supply chain for the establishment of a common market for medical products among others. He also expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the goals set at these meetings in a very short period, which proves the effectiveness of the cooperation in the Turkic World.
Parties also discussed the ongoing efforts to develop health cooperation within the framework of the Turkic Council. In this respect, Secretary General noted that the Secretariat is working towards materializing the proposals that the Health Ministers have given at the video-conference meeting on 28 April 2020 and therefore thanked the Minister and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey for their valuable contributions to this process. Underlining the importance of the ongoing initiatives that are being carried out by the Health Coordination Committee, Supply Chain Group and the Health Scientific Group, Secretary General Amreyev kindly expressed that assigning special groups composed of Turkish medical professionals to the brotherly Turkic Speaking States with the aim of providing training to local medical personnel would greatly contribute to the common fight of the Turkic Council against the pandemic.
Emphasizing on the importance of the first capacity building program to be organized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey between 23 and 28 August 2020 for medical professionals of the Member States, which aims at increasing knowledge on COVID-19 and on vaccine development process, the Minister extended his appreciation to Secretary General and the Secretariat for their valuable contributions to the organization of this program.
Minister Koca stressed that Turkey will continue doing its part to contribute to the health cooperation in the Turkic Council and extend its utmost support to the brotherly Turkic States in their fight against the coronavirus.
Project Director Ozge Pan accompanied the Secretary General at the meeting.
