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ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin Will Pay An Official Visit To Turkey

16 Feb 2015
Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) H.E. Mr. Raymond Benjamin will pay an official visit to Turkey on 16-22 February 2015. This will be the first bilateral official visit from ICAO to Turkey at Secretary General level. Turkey is a founding member of ICAO and maintains a permanent delegation in ICAO Headquarters in Montreal since 1990. 

During his visit, the Secretary General will meet with the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (SHGM), make on-site visits to aviation facilities in Ankara and Istanbul and be received by H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavusoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Mr. Lütfi Elvan, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications.

Further development of Turkey’s relations with ICAO and the candidacy of Turkey to ICAO Council in 2016 will be among the key issues to be addressed during the visit. In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Turkey and ICAO will be signed on 19 February 2014 in Ankara between Minister Elvan and Secretary General Benjamin. The MOU which will be the first bilateral official agreement between the Parties foresees:

  • close cooperation on civil aviation training, 
  • establishment of a ‘’Developing Country Training Program’’ for the provision of training fellowships for 20 participants annually in Turkey to be selected from developing ICAO Member States, 
  • secondment of the ICAO Secretariat at least by two Turkish experts every year, participation of Turkish experts in ICAO Audits either as observers or team members,
  • contribution of Turkey to the’’ Voluntary Human Resources Development Fund for the Civil Aviation Sector in Africa’’ and to the ‘’AFI Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa’’.

African countries are expected to benefit most from the said training program. As such the MOU will further strengthen not only Turkey’s relations with ICAO but also with African countries and contribute to the development of civil aviation in Africa where Turkish air carriers fly to 42 cities there.