H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Dr. Erhan ÇETİNKAYA, President of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) in Ankara. The visit aimed to reinforce the existing partnership between TurkStat and SESRIC and explore opportunities for broader cooperation in various activities undertaken by the both organistions.

During the meeting, H.E. Mrs. SELÇUK thanked H:E. Dr. ÇETİNKAYA for the significant contributions made by TurkStat in numerous statistical initiatives undertaken by SESRIC. The Director General of SESRIC informed the TurkStat President that 480 statistical activities have already been organised for the benefit of national statistical systems of the OIC countries in the last two decades, with Türkiye as the leading country among the provider OIC countries. Among those, 102 activities related to all statistical domains have been provided by TurkStat. She also underlined that within the framework of capacity development programmes undertaken by SESRIC, the cooperation in the official statistics field among the relevant national institutions of OIC countries stands out as an exemplary one.

On his part, H.E. Dr ÇETİNKAYA stated that they are pleased to be contributing to the statistical activities implemented by SESRIC for the benefit of OIC countries and indicated their willingness to continue supporting the statistical cooperation among the OIC countries through the facilitation of SESRIC.

The visit gave the opportunity to both sides to examine the potential areas of cooperation that would benefit OIC member countries, particularly in the field of social development indicators. Notably, the parties expressed a desire to intensify their statistical collaboration on issues related to children, the elderly, and employment. In closing, the heads of TurkStat and SESRIC discussed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to concretise their cooperation in official statistics.

Since its establishment in 1926, TurkStat functions as the authoritative body responsible for compiling, analyzing, and disseminating statistical information. It plays the coordinating and leading role in fostering informed decision-making in the country. The active engagement of TurkStat with global and regional statistical bodies further amplifies its significance on the statistical cooperation ground.