Turkish development minister receives UNICEF delegation

Turkish Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz received Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Yoka Brandt and the accompanying delegation at the ministry office in Ankara on Thursday. Turkey ranks fourth in the world in terms of humanitarian aid with $1 billion in 2012, said Yilmaz, adding that it has also provided $2.5 billion in development aid in 2012. Turkey has also given aid to Syria - a war where children are mostly harmed, said Yilmaz. "Turkey has made great advances in issues that affect children's lives - progresses in education and health are indications of that. Turkish aid contributes to improving children's lives around the world. We will discuss with UNICEF how can we cooperate for these issues in both Turkey and the world." UNICEF is aiming to inaugurate an office in Istanbul where it will conduct domestic and international work, which will also be discussed at the meeting, said the minister. Yoka Brandt said UNICEF was in a close relationship with the Turkish government and they visited the country to deepen their cooperation further.