Ankara, Turkey - HE Minister of Planning for the KRG, Dr. Ali Sindi and HE Minister of Development for Turkey, Dr. Cevdet Yilmaz signed an historic bilateral agreement in Ankara, Turkey, the Turkey - Kurdistan Region Development Cooperation Program. The program entails close KRG-Turkish government cooperation on the development of health, education, transportation, public private partnership, and social inclusion sectors in the Kurdistan Region. It is slated to begin in August and the first phase will run for three months.

 HE Dr. Ali Sindi explained that the signing of the agreement marks a new stage of government-to-government cooperation between Erbil and Ankara after a decade of growing economic and political ties. HE added that the KRG can learn a great deal from Turkey's experience in development and looks forward to implementing the various components of the initiative, their expected outcomes, and close continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Development in Turkey.

About the Turkey-Kurdistan Region Development Cooperation Program

The Turkey-Kurdistan Region Development Cooperation Program emerged from a series of meetings held by officials from the Turkish Ministry of Development and the KRG Ministry of Planning since 2012 in Ankara and Erbil. From these meetings it was agreed that a framework be established to facilitate greater cooperation in development between both parties.

 Through consultation the framework was developed as the Turkey-Kurdistan Region Development Cooperation Program and consensus was reached that the initial focus areas for cooperation would include: education, transportation, health, public private partnership models, and social support programs.

 The agreement was signed on June 13, 2013 in Ankara. Phase one will include 10 study trips and workshops for KRG officials in various locations in Turkey. There, KRG officials will meet with their Turkish counterparts and learn first hand how Turkey has faces issues within the aforementioned focus areas. The final study tour will be held in October, 2013, at which point the initial outcomes will be evaluated and a second phase developed.