Turkish-Indian cooperation in sci-tech ‘promising’

The Indian Embassy in Ankara on Friday marked the day of India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), the government's assistance program established in 1964.

Fazlı Çorman, director-general for South Asia at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, the Indian ambassador to Ankara, and alumni of the ITEC program were among the participants at the buffet dinner at the embassy.

Speaking at the event, Çorman said: “We regard our relations with India as very important.”

“From Turkish perspective, India is a country that is becoming more and more significant in science and technology and this is a desire from our side to have cooperation in this area,” he said.

He said there is a need to work together with Bhattacharyya for the implementation of recently signed agreements between the two countries.

The most “promising” cooperation between the two countries would be in the fields of science and technology as well as education, Çorman added.

He said Turkey is closely following development projects in India such as the Digital India program and the 100 Smart Cities.

Bhattacharyya, for his part, said the ITEC has now become a very visible part of India’s role and contribution to South-South cooperation.

ITEC and its sister program Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme (SCAAP) covers 161 countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Carribean as well as the Pacific and small island countries, Bhattacharyya said.

He added that to date, some 300 people of the Turkish government attended the ITEC program.

The program continued with traditional Indian dance shows and food.