By Tugrul Cam
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia
Turkey's state-run aid agency has carried out over 600 projects in Mongolia in numerous areas, including education, health, infrastructure, and cultural cooperation, according to officials of the agency.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) started its work in Mongolia, the Turks’ ancestral homeland, in 1994, two years before Turkey opened an embassy in the country.
Kamil Kolabas, an advisor to TIKA’s leadership, said supporting students and education in the countries where TIKA operates is vital, through projects such as dormitory and sports complex for female students set to open soon.
TIKA has also carried out aid projects for the Dukha, a Turkic herder people whose language and culture are at risk of disappearing, with their numbers dwindling to only 800.
Braving cold and forests to carry 10 tons of food over 400 kilometers (249 miles), the agency delivered humanitarian aid to 50 rural households last week, also providing them with 20 brood reindeer, which constitute their main livelihood.
“We’re working to help the Dukha language survive. We’re also working on tourism projects for Dukha Turks to boost their income,” said Kolabas. “We place special importance on Dukha Turks.”
Turkey and Mongolia are also planning to boost cultural ties by taking care of shared cultural remains such as the eighth-century Orkhon inscriptions, the oldest written sources of Turkic history.
TIKA country coordinator Emrah Ustaomer said they are also working on a museum to house the Tonyukuk inscriptions, also from the eighth century, to open sometime this year.
The agency is also renovating old mosques and building new cultural centers for Mongolia’s Muslim Kazakh population.
Ustaomer said the Mongolian people are grateful for TIKA’s work in the country.
Established in 1992, Turkey's government-run aid agency is responsible for implementing the country's developmental cooperation policies overseas.
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