Turkey to appoint science attaches

Turkish Minister for Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergun on Thursday stated that they would work on developing relations between Turkey and the US in the fields of as biomedical research, innovative technologies in agriculture, educational technology, material sciences, sustainable engineering, energy research, and natural hazards. Ergun delivered a speech at a high-level meeting to review science and technology cooperation between the United States and Turkey, in Ankara. Ergun stated that foreign policy and military dominated the areas the US and Turkey cooperated in the past and said, "Today we will discuss how to enhance our cooperation in biomedical research, innovative technologies in agriculture, educational technology, material sciences, sustainable engineering, energy research, and natural hazards. I believe US and Turkey's cooperation in the mentioned fields will contribute to the resolution of many global problems." Stating that one of their strategies to fulfill their national science and technology targets was international cooperations, Ergun said, "We have taken a step forward and decided to appoint science attaches to foreign countries as of this year. These attaches will be in close cooperation with foreign scientists and technological firms. We will first appoint an advisor to Washington and an attache to California. The US will be followed by China, Japan, South Korea and Germany." US Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones also co-chaired the meeting together with representatives from more than ten US government agencies and research institutions and their Turkish counterparts. Jones stated that they were in close cooperation with Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and added that the cooperation would continue in many other fields.