Merve Aydogan
April 22, 2021•Update: April 22, 2021
ANKARA
The Turkish government ratified agreements with six countries in various areas, according to the Official Gazette on Thursday.
As a "gesture of friendship and goodwill," Turkey will donate two ventilators to Guinea-Bissau under a deal for medical supplies signed last December.
Turkey has sent medical aid to over 150 countries and six international organizations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Separately, an agreement on cooperation with Azerbaijan in energy and mining, signed on Feb. 25 last year, was among the approved agreements.
Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Jan 13, 2021 in the field of education.
Under the MoU, Pakistan will recognize "the legal personality of the Turkish Maarif Foundation as a Turkish governmental institution in Pakistan."
"It shall provide convenience for the Turkish Maarif Foundation to obtain necessary permits to carry out its educational activities as well as other legal proceedings," the MoU added.
The Maarif Foundation currently has 27 schools and colleges across Pakistan, catering to over 12,000 students in 10 cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.
Turkey established the foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools previously linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
The organization assumed control of schools in Pakistan in January 2019.
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Turkey, in which 251 people were martyred and 2,734 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Economic agreements
According to the Official Gazette, an agreement amending the definition of "originating products" and methods on administrative co-operation on an existing free trade agreement between Turkey and Georgia was ratified.
The deal was signed on Oct. 28, 2026, in the Turkish capital Ankara.
A similar agreement on a decision about an existing free trade agreement signed between Turkey and Montenegro on Dec. 20, 2017, was also ratified, the Official Gazette included.
Initialed in Ankara on March 3, the "2021 Economic and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," was also officially ratified on Thursday.
As part of the agreement, Turkish Cyprus is committed to carrying out the reforms and targets listed in its "Action Plan for 2020" on schedule and prepare a proposal for an Economic Program covering the year 2022 by the end of October this year.
Turkey, as part of the agreement, has pledged to provide grants up to 2.25 billion Turkish liras ($271 million) and a loan of up to 1 billion liras ($120 million) to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
As a "gesture of friendship and goodwill," Turkey will also donate 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines to the TRNC.
Signed on behalf of Turkey in Singapore on Aug. 7, 2019, a decision on the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation was also included in the gazette.
