Ankara, Türkiye, 18 January 2025 – His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), concluded his official visit to the Republic of Türkiye with a series of high-level discussions that underscored the critical need for enhanced collaboration among OIC Member States to address food insecurity and promote sustainable development.
On the final day of his visit, Ambassador Aryn met with Director General Selçuk Koç of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC). Both sides discussed the importance of reinforcing cooperation through specialized working groups, particularly on agriculture, to encourage member states to submit joint proposals for COMCEC Project Funding (CPF). This financing mechanism, introduced by the COMCEC Coordination Office in 2013, supports projects developed by OIC member countries and related institutions to fulfill the COMCEC Strategy’s objectives. Ambassador Aryn and Director General Koç agreed to focus on this year’s thematic priority of enhancing smallholder farmers’ economies within OIC countries.
Following the COMCEC meeting, Ambassador Aryn paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Yerkebulan Sapiyev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Türkiye . He expressed gratitude for Kazakhstan’s steadfast support of the IOFS and other OIC institutions hosted in Türkiye, while Ambassador Sapiyev affirmed the IOFS’s significant role in advancing food security throughout the Islamic world.
Concluding his visit, Ambassador Aryn met with officials at the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (Türk İşbirliği ve Koordinasyon Ajansı Başkanlığı - TİKA), culminating in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at bolstering collaboration and formulating joint projects across multiple sectors. The signing ceremony, held at TİKA Headquarters in Ankara, was attended by TİKA President Serkan Kayalar, Ambassador Aryn, and delegations representing both institutions. The agreement focuses on sustainable development goals, humanitarian priorities, and key areas such as food and water security, agriculture, rural development, and biotechnology initiatives throughout OIC member states.
President Kayalar underlined the importance of this protocol in expanding institutional cooperation, noting that it will help extend the joint impact of TİKA and IOFS well beyond the region. “Inshallah, with the strength provided by this memorandum, we will transmit IOFS’s expertise along with TİKA’s experience to third countries in Africa, South America, and other regions concerning food security,” President Kayalar stated during the ceremony.
Ambassador Aryn echoed this optimism, emphasizing that productive and sustainable partnerships are indispensable for combating food insecurity. By leveraging innovative seed technologies, smart irrigation systems, mechanized farming, water-saving approaches, and by engaging various stakeholders through specialized forums such as the GFSS, he noted that OIC nations could significantly enhance agricultural productivity, climate resilience, nutrition, and livelihoods. “We have a strong partnership with TİKA,” Ambassador Aryn said. “This agreement will hopefully allow us to further develop our collaboration and expand our cooperation areas.”
Both organizations highlighted that upcoming projects under the new agreement will play a vital role in poverty alleviation, improving food security, and resolving environmental challenges—objectives that align closely with regional and global development goals. The protocol further paves the way for practical cooperation through domestic and international training programs, working visits, workshops, and the exchange of institutional expertise, reinforcing a shared commitment to advancing inclusive agricultural development and ensuring lasting stability across the OIC geography.
Throughout his visit to Türkiye , Ambassador Aryn stressed the significance of forging strong and sustainable partnerships among OIC Member States to confront the urgent challenge of food insecurity.
He noted that by harnessing the latest advances in seed technologies, smart irrigation, mechanization, and water-saving techniques, and by engaging stakeholders through specialized forums like the GFSS, OIC countries can markedly enhance agricultural productivity, ensure more effective climate resilience, and improve nutrition and livelihoods. Ambassador Aryn expressed confidence that these collective efforts—marked by unwavering commitment, innovative thinking, and shared resources—would translate into tangible outcomes, thereby fostering comprehensive agricultural development, stability, and prosperity across the OIC geography.
