The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) and UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) signed an Memorandum of Understanding to develop south-south and triangular cooperation on 4 April 2016 in Istanbul at 20.15 at İstanbul Conrad Otel, Bosphorus Lounge.
The MoU was signed by Ambassador Mr. Ramil Hasanov, Secretary-General of the Turkic Council and Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of UNOSCC in the presence of corps diplomatic of the Turkic Council Member States in Istanbul, representatives of international organizations and media.
The MoU will enhance the cooperation between the Turkic Council and the UNOSSC to carry out joint initiatives in advancing south-south and triangular cooperation in the Member States of the Turkic Council and across the region.
The Secretary General of the Turkic Council Ambassador Ramil Hasanov addressed the guests during the signing ceremony and stated that developing ties between the Turkic Council and the UNOSSC will serve to the development of south-south and triangular cooperation within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and expressed that common steps will be kicked off immediately in this direction. Ambassador Hasanov also emphasized the importance of thinking globally and enhancing cooperation regionally in this respect as well as stressed the determination of the Turkic Council to act together with UNDP, UNOSSC and related UN agencies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of UNOSCC expressed their appreciation to develop their relations with a comprehensive and dynamic international organization, the Turkic Council. Mr. Chediek mentioned that the Turkic Council by bringing together the four Turkic Speaking States significantly contributes to the South-South and Triangular cooperation in the region and beyond. Director Chediek also underlined that necessary steps will be taken immediately for the implementation of the MoU.
Before the signing ceremony, the parties had a bilateral meeting and discussed the steps to be taken to strengthen this cooperation.
The Turkic Council is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 with the signing of Nakhchivan Agreement by the Heads of States of its Member States: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. As a regional cooperation mechanism, it involves in a wide range of areas from economy to transport, from sustainable development to education and from media to tourism with a view to accelerating cooperation among its Member States, in the region and beyond.
The UNOSSC promotes, coordinates and supports south-south and triangular cooperation on a global and United Nations system-wide basis. Formerly known as the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, hosted by UNDP, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1974. It receives policy directives and guidance from the General Assembly High-level Committee (HLC) on South-South Cooperation, which is a committee of the whole and a subsidiary body of the General Assembly that reviews worldwide progress in South-South cooperation.
