Ankara, Türkiye - 17 January 2025 - His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), commenced his official visit to the Republic of Türkiye with high-level discussions aimed at advancing food security, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience initiatives across the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States.
During the first day of his visit, Ambassador Aryn met with Dr. Ahmet Bağcı, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, to explore avenues for deeper collaboration. Expressing gratitude for Türkiye’s long-standing commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, Ambassador Aryn emphasized the importance of sharing best practices in seed technology, mechanization, and research and innovation to address pressing challenges such as drought and climate shocks. Dr. Bağcı congratulated Ambassador Aryn on his appointment as Director General of IOFS and reaffirmed Türkiye’s readiness to provide robust support through the country’s expertise—ranging from improved seed technology to climate-smart mechanization—thus reinforcing integrated international efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change. Both parties agreed on the need to intensify capacity-building programs that equip OIC Member States with the knowledge and resources necessary to foster sustainable agricultural development also with innovations in Türkiye such as agricultural insurance to protect farmers.
Following this engagement, Ambassador Aryn was hosted at TAGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies) by its Director General, Dr. Mustafa Altuğ Atalay, along with relevant department heads specializing in horticultural crops, livestock, fisheries, mechanization, agricultural economics, and soil and water health. TAGEM highlighted its near-century track record in spearheading agricultural innovation, supported by 49 research centers, 32 gene banks, over 300 laboratories, and a workforce of 7,000, including 2,500 researchers. Both sides recognized the synergy between TAGEM’s research-based expertise and IOFS’s “Strategic Commodities” Program, which focuses on key crops like wheat, rice, and olives, and discussed avenues for broader technology transfer and collaborative research. Ambassador Aryn extended an invitation to TAGEM to present its achievements at the second edition of the Global Food Security Summit (GFSS) in Abu Dhabi, taking place on 21–23 October 2025. Dr. Atalay warmly welcomed this proposal and pledged TAGEM’s full commitment to mobilize Türkiye’s technological strengths and human resources to achieve shared objectives across Islamic countries.
As part of the official program, Ambassador Aryn also visited the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) to confer with H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk. They emphasized the critical role of reliable statistical data in shaping evidence-based agricultural and food security policies, while reviewing the progress of ongoing initiatives within the framework of the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OIC Institutions (ACMOI) 2025. In particular, they underscored the importance of the draft OIC Strategic Plan for Food Security in harmonizing efforts across Arab, African, and Asian Member States. Both IOFS and SESRIC agreed to broaden their joint activities and seek additional funding to bolster programs aimed at improving agricultural productivity, resilience, and interregional trade. His Excellency Yerkebulan Sapiyev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Türkiye, was also present, reiterating Kazakhstan’s continued support for collaborative endeavors led by IOFS and SESRIC.
