Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided health equipment and ambulance support to regions where minorities live in Serbia.
TIKA provided an ambulance to the health centers of Bujanovac and Bosilegrad, where minorities live in southern Serbia, and an incubator to the Kikinda General Hospital in the Vojvodina region.
The handover ceremony held in front of the Serbian Palace in the capital Belgrade was attended by Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Government Aleksandar Martinovic, Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade Hami Aksoy, TIKA Balkans and Eastern Europe Department Director Muhammed Ünal, mayors and invitees.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Aksoy said that TIKA has been providing services in Serbia since 2009 and that 363 projects and activities worth approximately 40 million dollars have been implemented so far, from education to health, agriculture and animal husbandry to infrastructure.
Aksoy recalled Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that “relations between Türkiye and Serbia are experiencing a golden age” and said:
“Last year, our trade volume exceeded $2.2 billion, and we are moving towards the $5 billion target with sure steps. Turkish investments have increased from $1 million to $400 million in the last decade. In line with the instructions of our Presidents, we are working with all our might to further develop our bilateral relations. I would also like to thank the Serbian authorities for the support they have shown to both our public institutions and companies in their activities. As Turkey, we attach special importance to supporting local governments. Cooperation with local governments undoubtedly provides a visible benefit to the daily lives of the local people. It is a great source of happiness for us that today’s projects will directly affect the lives of the people living in Bujanovac, Bosilegrad and Kikinda.”
TIKA Balkans and Eastern Europe Department Head Ünal also stated that they reflect Turkey’s global humanitarian stance with concrete development projects on the field.
Ünal stated that TİKA implemented projects in the health sector such as hospital and health center renovations, equipment support, establishment of medical analysis laboratories, and ambulance support, and that they facilitated the local people’s access to health services with the work they did in Serbia.
