Turkish president hails OECD's 60th anniversary

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday hailed the 60th anniversary of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In a video message, Erdogan said international cooperation should prioritize developing countries, refugees, and displaced people. "I believe that OECD should play a pioneering role in this," he said.

"As Turkey, we have displayed active cooperation and solidarity in the OECD towards its goals of securing balanced economic growth and development, as well as raising prosperity and employment," underlined the president.

Noting the organization's role in treaties, standard-setting, recommendations and analysis, he said it has proven itself to be an important actor in the global economy.

Underlining that the novel coronavirus pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the world and the inter-dependency across countries, Erdogan detailed the Turkish government's policies to protect public health and support business.

He highlighted the importance of international solidarity and aid during the pandemic, noting that Turkey had provided aid to some 156 countries and nine international organizations since it emerged in China roughly a year ago.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk​​​​​​​