Day: 25 April 2020

TİKA’s Deputy President Kayalar said, “A total of 90 historical buildings, especially mosques, tombs, madrasahs, clock towers, castles, Turkish baths, complexes, and fountains, have been restored and renovated since 2011.”
Stating that Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has carried out nearly 30,000 projects and activities across 5 continents with its 62 Program Coordination Offices in 60 countries, TİKA’s Deputy President Serkan Kayalar said, “We provide assistance by prioritizing the needs without expecting anything in return or having any secret agenda.”

Speaking to an AA correspondent on the occasion of TİKA’s 28th anniversary, Kayalar commented on TİKA’s activities all around the world in various fields.
Reminding that many countries gained independence in Central Asia and the Caucasus when the Soviet Union dissolved on December 25, 1991, Kayalar said that Turkey was the first country to recognize the Turkic Republics that declared independence during this period.

Kayalar noted that there was a need for an organization to carry out activities in the region, adopt the priorities of Turkey’s foreign policy, and coordinate these efforts and that within this framework, TİKA was established as an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pursuant to the Decree of the Council of Ministers dated January 24, 1992.

Kayalar summarized TİKA’s objectives in those years as enabling the Turkic Republics to create their own social structures and develop their own identity in a healthy manner, improving cultural cooperation with these countries, and providing technical infrastructure support. He stated that TİKA was entrusted to the Prime Ministry in 1999 and that it has been operating under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism since the transition to the Presidential System.

Stressing that there have been significant changes in Turkey’s foreign policy since the 2000s as a result of its aim of becoming an important actor both in the world and in its region, Kayalar said, “Within this framework, TİKA expanded its area of activity and increased the number of its Program Coordination Offices, which was 12 in 2002, to 25 in 2011 and 33 in 2012. TİKA operates on 5 continents with its 62 Program Coordination Offices in 60 countries. Since its establishment in 1992, TİKA has carried out approximately 30,000 projects and activities in nearly 170 countries on 5 continents. The fact that approximately 90% of these projects were implemented after 2002 indicates how much TİKA’s efficiency has increased.”
“90 historical buildings have been restored and renovated since 2011”

Commenting on TİKA’s restoration activities, Kayalar said, “A total of 90 historical buildings, especially mosques, tombs, madrasahs, clock towers, castles, Turkish baths, complexes, and fountains, have been restored and renovated since 2011.”
He stated that these activities include the restorations of the 500-year Ketchaoua Mosque, which is the symbol of Algeria’s struggle for independence; the Drina Bridge (Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge), which is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bascarsija in Sarajevo; and the Ram Fortress in Serbia. He added that TİKA has also carried out remarkable activities such as the restoration of the Tombs of King Najashi and His Companions in Ethiopia, excavations in search of the Tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent in Hungary, and the preservation of the Orkhon and Bilge Tonyukuk Monuments in Mongolia.

“We provide assistance by prioritizing the needs without any secret agenda”
Noting that TİKA is one of the pioneers of the Turkish-Type Development Assistance Model, Kayalar said, “TİKA makes its mark in the international arena with its people-oriented, non-discriminatory, sincere, transparent, rapid, and solution-oriented Turkish-Type development cooperation model, which is based on equal relations and partnership, considers the priorities and needs of countries, and respects the environment, local cultures, and national values.”

Underlining that TİKA reaches even the most remote corners of the world, Kayalar added, “TİKA competes with its long-established foreign counterparts, which were founded much earlier, with modest resources. In an environment where so-called developed countries try to derive political or commercial benefits under the cover of aid, it develops sustainable projects that touch people’s lives directly without expecting anything in return.”

Stressing that the most important characteristic of TİKA that separates it from its counterparts around the world is its direct response to demand, Kayalar said, “We do not do anything that the country where we operate does not want. We do not impose anything in return for the project. As TİKA, no matter where we are, we implement projects ourselves rather than offering direct financial support. Therefore, unlike foreign institutions, we ensure that our projects directly benefit those in need.
While carrying out development projects in various social, economic, and cultural fields in the regions in need, we try to win hearts like contemporary Alperens (combatants), as our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated. We provide assistance by prioritizing the needs without expecting anything in return or having any secret agenda.”
“We carried out nearly 2,000 projects and activities last year”
Commenting on TİKA’s projects and activities last year, Kayalar said, “Last year, we reached more than 100 countries and carried out nearly 2,000 projects and activities in the fields of education, health, infrastructure, restoration, and cultural and humanitarian assistance.”

Noting that they primarily focused on the nearby and neighboring regions and on countries in need that have been exploited for many years, Kayalar added, “Last year, we enabled nearly 100,000 students to benefit from educational services through 346 education projects. We gave hope to more than 900,000 people by implementing 142 healthcare projects. We provided vocational training to nearly 5000 doctors, public personnel, and specialists and contributed to the development of human resource capacity and the quality of life.”
Kayalar stated that during the last Ramadan, they held iftar dinners and provided food aid to those in need, especially victims of terrorism, orphans, and Turkic groups, in 150 cities in more than 50 countries, from Africa to South America, Asia and the Balkans.

“We have approximately 120 important projects ready for inauguration in nearly 35 countries”
Mentioning TİKA’s prestigious projects, Kayalar said, “We have approximately 120 important projects ready for inauguration in nearly 35 countries. Although most of these projects are in the Balkans, they are scattered across a wide region from Africa to Central Asia and South America.”
Kayalar stated that these projects include the restoration of the Kayseri Bazaar in Kirkuk and Sheikh Abdulkadir Geylani Complex in Baghdad, Iraq, the restoration and landscaping of the Tomb of King Najashi in Ethiopia, Palestine-Turkey Friendship Hospital and the Turkish houses in Gaza, Palestine, Niger-Turkey Friendship School and Friendship Park, and Niger-Turkey Friendship Hospital.
TİKA’s Deputy President Kayalar added that numerous prestigious projects are underway including the construction of the Girls’ Dormitory in the University of Jerusalem in Palestine, the construction of the Islamic Cultural Center in Sisak, Croatia, equipment of the Medgidia Hospital in Romania, the Gjirokaster Boys’ Dormitory in Albania, the restoration of the Sultan’s Mosque and the Halveti Teqe in Berat, Albania, the restoration of the Elci İbrahim Pasha’s Madrasah in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the installation of the flood early-warning systems in Pakistan.

Kayalar said that the construction, landscaping, display, and organization of the Bilge Tonyukuk Museum in Mongolia, the restoration of the Imam Al-adham Abu Hanifa Complex in Iraq, and the construction of the Islamabad Center of Excellence in Pakistan were among the prestigious projects planned to be implemented.

Stressing that TİKA aims to increase the number of its projects for the preservation of cultural properties in line with Turkey’s targets for 2023, Kayalar said, “In this context, TİKA aims to carry out 51 new restoration projects from 2020 to 2023, including 20 in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, 4 in East and South Asia-Pacific and Latin America, 17 in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and 10 in the Middle East and Africa.”
Stating that TİKA will continue its activities to strengthen the infrastructure of cultural facilities, Kayalar added, “In this context, we aim to implement 190 projects for the construction, equipment, and renovation of cultural facilities from 2020 to 2023. TİKA will continue to support cultural events and programs with artistic, cultural, and academic content. It aims to implement 955 projects in this field from 2020 to 2023.”

“We are planning to open TİKA’s 63rd office in Nigeria”
Reminding that the Nicosia Program Office, TİKA’s 62nd office, was inaugurated in the TRNC in December 2019 with the participation of the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Kayalar said, “In the future, we want to implement many concrete projects that will touch lives, support production sectors, and contribute to the development of the TRNC. We have started to work on this subject.”

Underlining that TİKA contributes to the improvement of Turkey’s relations with the neighboring and nearby regions and friendly countries through development projects, Kayalar said, “In this sense, we consider offices to be opened in line with Turkey’s foreign policy and needs. We are planning to open our 63rd office in Nigeria, Africa. Nigeria has a very important location in Africa.”

Turkey keeps breaking records in humanitarian aid and development assistance

With its unique development model, Turkey’s flagship development agency TİKA prioritizes a sincere, transparent, human-centered and sustainable approach for its projects across the world, the aid agency’s president says.

Turkey’s emergency and humanitarian aid fund was around $3.2 billion in 2015, $6.4 billion in 2016 and had surpassed $8 billion in 2017, corresponding to 0.85 percent of the country’s national dividend. With these numbers, Turkey is leading the world in humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, in terms of official development assistance, Turkey has surpassed the United Nations’ target of allocating 0.7 percent of the national dividend to aid funds this year by dedicating 0.95 percent. Increasing its development assistance by 25 percent and reaching $8.1 billion, Turkey has become the sixth highest ranking country in official development assistance, overtaking many developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) President Dr. Serdar Çam said that Turkey has adopted the Turkish Development Model prioritizing sincerity, transparency, human-centered approach and responsiveness along with fairness, resolution, sustainable partnership and reciprocity. Çam also said the following, “Our main aim is to contribute to developing countries by conveying Turkey’s experience and to consolidate fair and sustainable cooperation which is based on mutual trust with friendly countries. Moreover, we desire to become a helping hand to disadvantaged regions when necessary.”

You reap what you sow
Expressing that Turkey acts neither thoughtlessly nor indifferently to the humanitarian crises, Çam said, “A state cannot spend its energy aimlessly and thoughtlessly. Aid has to be planned and facilities have to be consolidated. While you are helping another country, you are indirectly preventing a possible conflict on the border and in the region. You have to remember that it may have consequences. Does garbage or lack of electricity and water only affect one country? Is the impact of terrorism, ignorance and being against female education limited to a country? We’re not in a region that allows us to be indifferent. A psychopath could emerge from the Scandinavian countries and realize a terrorist attack. The world is smaller and closer; every country should contribute as much as it can. Turkey is investing in its next generation by being moral and fair. Will we let an unmanageable humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Palestine or Africa become the problem of the next generations? I can assure you that your contribution will return either materially or spiritually. As a faithful nation, we’re thinking about the moral and conscientious dimensions of these issues.”

Signifying that the targets and priorities of TİKA overlap with Turkish foreign policy determined by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Çam expressed the following, “TİKA has a bright future. A strong wind is blowing and this is the reflection of the support provided by President Erdoğan. It wouldn’t be possible to overcome challenges without his patronage along with his material and morale support. TİKA is growing 10-15 percent every year in accordance with its regional activity. This is an important field for Turkey. Considering the Syrian crisis and other issues in the region, it’s meaningful to have a structure that will allow TİKA to increase its area of influence. We should be where there are issues.”

High level of humanitarian aid when factors calculated
Çam expressed that Turkey spent $33 billion for Syrian refugees and that this amount was calculated according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards. “These numbers could be calculated according to European standards with its factors, work hours and allowance. There is a significant difference between Turkey’s direct and indirect contributions. For instance, you may send a professional surgical team to another country. We have sent doctors to perform surgery on Georgian children who have defects due to radiation and they performed these surgeries without demanding any payment. This kind of surgery costs around $100,000 around the world. For this reason, we allocate a certain capacity for each ministry in Turkey to provide help abroad. Ranging from agriculture to healthcare, we’re able to create a hundredfold aid capacity with only one unit,” he said.

Some $8.2 billion in humanitarian aid in 2019
Stating that TİKA has a $100 million budget for 2019, Çam underscored that this amount will multiply with the aid coming from municipalities, ministries and other public institutions. “Foreign aid to be provided by public institutions is around $8.2 billion. This is the total of added value created by all ministries,” he commented. Çam expressed that especially educational and healthcare aid will increase along with humanitarian and emergency aid, while asserting that TİKA will focus on projects aiming to decrease the maternal and infant mortality rates. “People are grateful to us. We’re working on finishing the constructions of maternity wards and children’s hospital in Djibouti and Niger along with a hospital in Gaza. It will be the greatest healthcare investment made in Palestine. God willing, we will successfully conclude 2018. We have completed dozens of projects while there are many other projects waiting to be inaugurated. We don’t only support development projects; we also focus on humanitarian aid. We’re providing humanitarian aid not only to countries in need but also to developed countries as there isn’t a crisis-free location left on earth. We were the first foreign responder for the earthquake in Mexico; we received praise from the Mexican president for our contribution. Similarly, TİKA provided aid to Japan during the radiation leak. Developed countries may also be in need albeit small,” he stated.

TİKA has 61 program coordination offices in 59 countries on five continents while it is active in 150 countries. Turkey aims to create a belt of peace with friendly and related countries via TİKA and shares its experience with many countries from the Pacific to Central Asia to the Middle East along with Africa, the Balkans, Caucasia and South America. In accordance with the foreign policy targets of Turkey, TİKA increased its activities in South America from 2006 onward, while establishing 22 offices in Africa since 2005. TİKA responded to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine region quickly due to President Erdoğan’s initiatives. It is possible to come across various social, economic, administrative and cultural projects such as maternal and infant health, water sanitation, agriculture, animal husbandry, education, tourism, forestry, informatics, vocational education, restoration and protection of cultural heritage, which are all managed by TİKA. TİKA’s head also said that Turkey has always been an advocate for equality among all people, regardless of religion, native language or ethnicity, emphasizing that applying this principle has been the secret to TİKA’s success. In this respect, Çam explained to Daily Sabah the projects TİKA realized in 2018 and aims to realize in 2019 along with the performance of the institution.

Over 4,000 projects realized
Including vocational education, Çam expressed that TİKA has realized approximately 4,250 projects in the field of education. He affirmed that TİKA has built schools in many countries over five continents including but not limited to Afghanistan, Macedonia, Albania, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Palestine, Iraq and Colombia, while restoring hundreds of them. Sharing Turkey’s experience in the fields of education, healthcare, production, administrative and civilian management, and media through support to vocational education centers, Çam stated that TİKA has trained thousands of experts by cooperating with similar institutions, organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

World disregarding Yemen and Myanmar
Çam said, “Turkey is lending a helping hand to the people of these unfortunate regions without any ulterior motive. As President Erdoğan has commented on recently after the G20 summit in Argentina, international organizations and developed countries are disregarding crises in Yemen and Myanmar.” He added that TİKA, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) along with various other NGOs, which are all parts of the foundation civilization, show Turkey’s humanitarian and conscientious stance clearly by providing help to the farthest parts of the world.
Increasing number of offices in South America

Talking about TİKA’s projects on education, health care and agriculture in South America, Çam stated that the first office aiming to enhance the institution’s activities was opened in Mexico in 2014. Another office was opened in Colombia’s capital Bogota in 2015.Turkey has a more active policy toward countries in South America and the Caribbean to improve its relations with the region. The “South America and Caribbean Action Plan” which was implemented in 1998 was updated in 2006; the same year was also announced as “South America and Caribbean Year” in Turkey. In this context, almost 200 projects and activities especially on education, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure were realized between the years 2008 and 2018 by TİKA.

TİKA’s total development assistance to South American countries between the years 2008 and 2018 amounted to $7.5 billion. Çam expressed that TİKA, which is active in many countries including Guyana, Argentina, Venezuela and Paraguay, continues to build bridges between countries of the region and Turkey through projects aiming to improve female employment, entrepreneurship and to support the peace process in Colombia. In this respect, with the Experience Sharing Program of 2018, TİKA realized activities including Spanish education, voluntary studies and social and cultural interactions in Colombia for 11 undergraduate students. Talking about realized projects, Çam said that TİKA provided medical equipment to Doctor Ricardo Gutierrez Children’s Hospital’s Eye Care and Intensive Care Unit, one of the oldest hospitals located in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.

Moreover, Çam stated that as a result of President Erdoğan’s meeting with Argentina Islamic Center Head Anibal Bakir and his delegation, a school for children’s education in Buenos Aires will be built by TİKA. Accelerating its activities in the region, TİKA renewed the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Primary School in Chile’s capital Santiago. With the joint project developed together with Agencia Presidencial de Cooperacion Internacional de Colombia, TİKA realized the construction of classrooms and libraries along with the procurement of sports equipment and educational materials for 21 town schools in nine provinces of Colombia. In addition, TİKA provided two boats to El Charco La Tribuna School to facilitate the transportation of 300 students living in the remote parts of the El Charco municipality in Colombia. In the region where transportation is realized through rivers, students aged between seven and 17 were previously using canoes made out of wood to reach their schools. Accompanying President Erdoğan in his recent visit to Paraguay, first lady Emine Erdoğan delivered ambulances, wheelchairs and incubators provided by TİKA to Paraguay’s Ministry of Health. The ambulances will be used in the region where 600 families suffered from floods.Providing support to agriculture and livestock farming, TİKA provided cold storage and vacuum packaging equipment to the Guyana School of Agriculture and Presidential College.

In addition, Çam asserted that equipment which will improve production capacity will be procured for Agricultural Services’ Sugar Cane Cooperative located in Cundinamarca province of Colombia. TİKA had provided technical equipment to cocoa, rubber and coffee producers along with women producing essence in Colombia’s Caqueta province in order to consolidate agricultural development in 2017. Underscoring the impossibility of achieving economic development without a healthy populace, Çam expressed that TİKA provides medical equipment to various hospitals in Colombia, Peru and Brazil while providing ambulance support to Suriname, Bolivia and Guyana.

Decreasing maternal and infant mortality rates
Çam affirmed that basic needs such as education and healthcare should be prioritized and signified that TİKA will realize new projects in this field in 2019 while improving the existing ones. “Maternal and infant health is our priority. Turkey is continuing to provide education on midwife training and minimizing infant mortality. We will continue on our projects aiming to procure missing medical equipment and materials,” he said.

‘We will do whatever we can in Yemen’
Touching upon the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Çam asserted that Turkey will increase its humanitarian aid to Yemen. Çam continued, “Despite security risks, we haven’t closed down our office in Yemen. Currently, our Sana’a office is functioning with its local personnel; however, its capacity is limited. We’ve opened a second office in Aden. Our coordinator is working on it. We’re trying to maintain our ancestral tradition by providing the local populace with food and water. We’re also working on preventing cholera and collecting garbage. Meanwhile, it’s not possible for another country to completely resolve the crisis in a country; only the country could save itself. We’ll increase our activities in Yemen. We’re not the wealthiest country on Earth but President Erdoğan is the most generous leader. For this reason, we’ll have new initiatives and activities in Yemen with the special support of our government.”

Gaza Hospital Project completed

In this respect, Çam stated that the construction of the hospital in Gaza which is a subsidiary of Islamic University of Gaza. He specified that this was not the first hospital built by Turkey in Palestine, while signifying that Turkey and TİKA has made large healthcare investments in the region. “We’re experiencing certain hardships in terms of logistics with our Ramallah office and Gaza. Our office is trying to contribute to many projects in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Even during the most problematic periods, we try to communicate and cooperate with both Israel and Palestine through our embassies. Therefore, Israel’s Foreign Ministry is trying to provide certain facilities to us; of course, we experience certain issues at the border. To minimize the human tragedy there, we have to have healthy relations,” he commented.

Indirectly fighting terrorism
Asserting that TİKA’s indirect contribution to counterterrorism activities, Çam gave Somali as an example of how the institution both mends the wounds caused by terror and prevents the spread of terror.
“For instance, when you look at Somali, it’s no longer a failed state; a new structure that can maintain and sustain itself is there. Turkey is the chief contributor in this matter. Approximately $1 billion was invested. Economic activities were jump-started. Turkey didn’t seek interest while providing help to the country. Seeing dying children because of famine, President Erdoğan went there on August 2011 and started the process. Today, we can say children no longer die because of famine in Somali. The possibility of famine was eliminated with sufficient fish farms and livestock. Even though we may not see it today, following generations might say ‘Turks have invested here.’ The important thing is that we have done it,” he said.

Turkey sought for humanitarian aid

Even though the main objective of the institution isn’t providing emergency needs, TİKA had transported emergency need packages to the victims of the earthquake in Mexico in 2017 with its dynamic structure. Regarding this topic, Çam stated that TİKA was the first foreign institution to provide help to Mexico and that the Mexican president had thanked Turkey for the swift response. Reminding that Turkey is a country that provided the most humanitarian aid according to the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2018, Çam signified that Turkey is lending a helping hand to many people in need especially in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Rakhine, Afghanistan and Somalia along with various other regions. He added that Turkey is seen by other countries as a swift responder. Explaining that Turkey has increased its humanitarian aid by 25 percent 2017 when compared to the previous year and reaching $8.1 billion in according to OECD data, Çam asserted that Turkey is the sixth country in the development assistance rankings.

Hot meals for the Rohingya everyday
“When Rohingya people started to leave Myanmar, we provided them the first hot meal with our kitchen there. Currently TİKA is providing hot meals for 25,000 people there. We have established kitchens and distributed hot meals. We’ve responded quickly. We are the first institution that helped the Rohingya, both in and out of Myanmar, with the instructions and support of President Erdoğan,” Çam said.

Support to Palestinians in Chile and Muslim natives in Mexico
As the third and fourth generations of families who have migrated to Chile from the Arabic regions in early 1900s and are mostly Palestinians, continue to live in Chile, TİKA is working on projects aiming for the betterment of Palestinians in Chile. In this respect, besides the retirement home project, TİKA built two grass football fields for the Deportivo Palestino Football Club, which is founded by Chileans of Palestinian descent. Closely tending to the Muslim Natives of Mexico, whose numbers are increasing by the day, TİKA provides help to Mexican natives who have economic and transportation issues. With the livestock, sewing machines and cloth sent to the region via TİKA, Turkey is increasing women’s contribution to the economy. Moreover, TİKA is providing Ramadan packages to the natives during the holy month of Ramadan. Organizing iftars during Ramadan, TİKA distributes Ramadan packages consisting of food to impoverished natives. Stating that Turkey will continue to lend a helping hand to different regions within its power, Çam expressed that Turkey might focus on certain regions of the world due to demands, needs and policies but will help all regardless.

Bicycles for girls in Kenya
Continuing to provide support to girls, TİKA changed the lives of girls living in the remote villages located in Western Kenya who have to walk for kilometers to reach their school by giving them 200 bicycles. “You have to prioritize where the need for help is the direst. In this respect, it’s not possible to contribute to an already perfect place,” said Çam.
On the other hand, Çam talked about TİKA’s activities in Hungary, an EU member with a good infrastructure. Touching upon restoration efforts to maintain Budapest’s historical monuments, like Gül Baba’s Tomb which was recently concluded, Çam expressed that the restoration of various monuments in Szigetvár, one of the most important cities in Hungary, is being closely followed by TİKA. Asserting that cultural interactions are achieved via realized projects, Çam gave the example of Mauritania and extracted how the people were provided with vocational education especially in terms of tourism. “Turkish instructors taught almost all Turkish desserts to the students there. Some 500 students now have a vocation. The training of Turkish hotel service was provided within only two months. We want to provide this kind of training and to create opportunities for entrepreneurs,” he said.

Construction of a cultural center for Tatars in Kiev
Çam also noted that a cultural center consisting of a library, mosque and restaurant will be constructed for Crimean Tatars in Kiev in 2019 and that they will be able to find each other there and keep their values alive. Projects in third countries through cooperation Moreover, Çam stated that Turkey conducts projects together with institutions of other countries in third countries. He gave the Healthcare Week program in Kenya – jointly organized by Turkish and Hungarian doctors via TİKA – also cooperation was renewed between TİKA and South Korea’s assistance agency KOICA during President Erdoğan’s official visit to the country and they are transporting aid packages provided by Kazakhstan to the Rohingya people in Bangladesh.

Shelter for Kangal puppies in Namibia

TİKA provided Sivas Kangal puppies to the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia in order to prevent farmers from killing cheetahs attacking their livestock. Brought from Anatolia, Kangals are trained and given to farmers who possess livestock. This prevents cheetahs from attacking the livestock and allows for the conservation of endangered cheetahs.

Originally published on https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2018/12/10/tika-president-serdar-cam-turkey-keeps-breaking-records-in-humanitarian-aid-and-development-assistance

Turkey Sends Medical Aid to Countries in Fight Against Covid-19

21.04.2020
Turkey has sent aid, medical supplies, and protective equipment to countries badly hit by the coronavirus epidemic, such as the UK, Italy, Spain, and several Balkan countries.
The Turkish Defense Ministry announced on April 10th that a Turkish military cargo plane carrying medical aid arrived in the UK.

“I hope that the friendly UK people will come out of this tragedy with minimal losses,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted in a letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Erdoğan emphasized that the military cargo plane was sent to demonstrate solidarity with Turkey’s friend and ally the United Kingdom.

Along with the UK, Turkey also sent medical aid to five Balkan countries including Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. Supplies were also sent to Ukraine.

Turkey also sent medical aid to Libya and Somalia. “At the direction of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of the preventative measures against the Covid-19 virus, medical supplies were sent to our Libyan brothers and our military training cooperation and consultancy teams who are on duty in the region,” Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

Previously, Turkey sent aid, including masks, hazmat suits, goggles, and disinfectants to Italy and Spain. The crates containing the supplies carried messages reading: “With love to the people of Spain and Italy, from Turkey” and the words of the 13th-century Sufi mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi: “There is hope after despair, and many suns after darkness.”​​

Turkey is facing its own coronavirus crisis – so why is it sending medical supplies to the UK?
April 23, 2020 12.21am AEST

Yaprak Gürsoy
Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Aston University

Amid a global rush to find medical equipment for healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, the UK has ordered 84 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Turkey.
But, for no apparent reason, the shipment was delayed, amid mounting controversy over the UK’s dependence on international suppliers for protective equipment. At least part of the shipment did eventually arrive on a plane from Turkey on April 22.

Turkey has also sent out medical supplies prepared by its Ministry of Defence in the form of aid to nearly 30 countries across the globe, including the UK, Italy and Spain.
Meanwhile, Turkey is struggling with its own coronavirus health crisis and possible shortage of PPE. As of April 22, the country had reported 95,591 cases of COVID-19 and 2,259 deaths, according to data collated by John Hopkins University.
The Turkish Medical Association has warned of problems surrounding the availability of PPE and conveyed fears among healthcare workers that they may run out of equipment. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was criticised by the head of the opposition Good Party, which questioned aid to Italy and Spain at a time when the Turkish government was asking for donations from citizens to help combat the disease at home.

Despite these questions, Turkey has continued to ship PPE to other countries. Ankara may be trying to boost its manufacturing sector and its economy during the pandemic. But there are also a deeper historical and political reasons behind this recent generosity.

Status through compassion
Before the pandemic began, Turkey was stuck in a complex crisis with political, economic and international dimensions. The main foreign and domestic policy agenda was the imbroglio in Syria and ongoing battle over Idlib. At home, Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party had lost municipal elections in Istanbul and Ankara in 2019 and the economy had been under stress at least since the 2018 exchange rate fluctuation.

But with the pandemic these crises have been all but forgotten. The new global agenda gave a rare opportunity to Erdoğan’s government to promote its strength at home and reconcile its image abroad.
The logo of the Turkish presidency was attached to the boxes, indicating the significance of this move for Erdoğan’s image. Some of the aid packages also contained a quote from the 13th-century Sufi mystic Mevlana Rumi – who is known for his peaceful Islamic teachings – linking the recent gesture to a long tradition of compassion in Islam.

The idea of mercy is important in Turkey’s collective identity – and the way the country thinks about itself. Epitomised in the words “peace at home, peace in the world” by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, benevolence sporadically surfaces in Turkey’s relations with other countries as a benign way to restore self-worth.

Drawing on Islamic thought, compassion can also be practised in international relations to redeem dignity and gain respect. In Islam, God is compassionate and kind – acts in his name should follow the same practice. Being a good Muslim is connected to sharing wealth, helping those who are in need and giving alms. Evoking these beliefs, Rumi’s quote on hope would strike a chord with many Turks who feel pride in helping others.

In the past two decades, under Erdoğan’s rule, Turkey has relied on similar sentiments to become a regional power in international relations, extending its influence in the Middle East and Africa. Craving higher status, Turkey has used global aid to increase its soft power in the Muslim world and beyond. This aid has been distributed in particular to Muslim nations in need, through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and Islamic NGOs, backed by the Directorate of Religious Affairs.

The new COVID-19 assistance to European countries and others combines this policy with a new kind of power politics. It is, in part, a peaceful attempt to restore Turkey’s status and image at a time when they were particularly tarnished by the situation in Syria.

A friend and an ally
Assistance to and cooperation with the UK also has special meaning. The UK has been a critical ally of Turkey in the past few years. When Erdoğan faced a military coup in July 2016, the British government was among the first to condemn it. The events surrounding the coup left an emotional imprint on Turkish politics and there is longstanding gratitude to those – like the UK – who stood by Erdoğan at a traumatic moment.

Seen from this angle, it’s unsurprising that Ankara would want to reciprocate in this time of distress. Tellingly, the cargo plane that carried aid to the UK on April 10 also delivered a personal letter from Erdoğan expressing solidarity with the UK and wishing the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, a speedy recovery.
The aid packages, and readiness to supply PPE, gives Turkey an opportunity to reconcile its battered global image while strengthening old alliances. This example of “reverse aid” from East to West also signifies economic and political opportunities for states seeking higher status and power.

Countries like Turkey may find they now have a chance to reinvent themselves in cooperation with the West. Using peaceful means to gain respect on the global stage would not only be beneficial for them but would also give hope for a brighter future in global politics.

Pakistan: 200-year old temple returned to Hindus

8th Feb 2020

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA): Pakistan’s government has handed over a 200-year old temple to the country’s Hindu minority, local media reported on Saturday.
Located in the remote Zhob district of the southwestern Balochistan province, the temple had been illegally occupied in 1947 following the partition of United India, which prompted a mass-scale migration to and from Pakistan and India.
For the past 30 years the four-room temple was also used as a government school, but it was vacated last year, and the school was relocated, English daily Dawn reported.

The keys to the temple were handed over to Hindu community leaders by Maulana Allah Dad Kakar, a local religious scholar, and leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam – a mainstream religious party ­– at a ceremony held outside the building.
Saleem Taha, Zhob’s deputy commissioner, apologized for the 72-year delay in handing over the temple to the Hindu community, but made assurances the building would be restored to its original condition, Dawn reported.

The move – hailed by the Hindu community ­– comes on the heels of an Indian Supreme Court ruling last November handing over the site of the historic Babri Mosque to Hindus for the construction of a temple following a prolonged legal battle. The mosque was destroyed by Hindus decades ago.
Pakistan’s move is part of government plans to reclaim and restore 400 temples across the country illegally occupied by land grabbers and return them to Hindus.
Hindus, the largest minority in Pakistan, make up 4% of the country’s more than 200 million population.

Pakistan is home to several sites revered by Hindus. The Katas Raj temple in the northeastern Chakwal district and Sadhu Bela temple in southern Sukkur district are the two most-visited rites by Hindus across the world.
Last November, Pakistan also opened a key border crossing for Indian Sikhs to visit the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of their religion.
[Photo: Shri Varun Dev Mandir is one of hundreds of Hindu temples located in Manora Island in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Photo by Sam4u1w/Creative Commons]