ANKARA
Turkey's first science attaché will be appointed in the coming days to the German capital Berlin, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Isik announced Thursday.
"With a science attaché, Turkish-German science relations will be followed more officially and effectively," said Isik, speaking at the closing ceremony of the German-Turkish Year of Science in Ankara.
The science attaché to Berlin will be the first of six that the Turkish government has decided to appoint abroad, the minister said.
The German-Turkish Year Science is a joint initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey.
Germany and Turkey worked together under the motto "Science Bridging Nations" to pursue several goals during the joint Year of Science.
Both partners are committed to bringing attention to the importance and successes of their cooperation and building on existing cooperation within research, education and innovation through forward-looking projects.
Isik said the Year of Science contributed greatly to the science and research work of the two countries as well as strengthening bilateral relations.
Over 200 science activities were held during the German-Turkish Year of Science, and a number of scientists visited Turkey and Germany, he said.
One such joint initiative was a Turkish-German University located in Istanbul, which opened its doors in 2013 and provides education in German.
The university aims to establish cooperation between the two countries by enriching both Turkey and Germany’s education systems through higher education and academic research.
"It would be wrong to describe it as the 'closing of the science year,'" Federal Minister of Education and Research, Johanna Wanka, said. "I hope it will help improve the relationship between Turkish and German scientists."
