DG IPS Visits Istanbul

DG IPS Khalid Rahman visited Istanbul on December 11-13 where he held meetings with a number of Turkish organizations and scholars. He met Dr. Mustafa Özel of Bilim Ve Sanat Vakfi, a research institute founded in 1985 under the guidance of Dr. Ahmed Doud Oglo, currently the Foreign Minister of Turkey.

DG IPS Khalid Rahman visited Istanbul on December 11-13 where he held meetings with a number of Turkish organizations and scholars. He met Dr. Mustafa Özel of Bilim Ve Sanat Vakfi, a research institute founded in 1985 under the guidance of Dr. Ahmed Doud Oglo, currently the Foreign Minister of Turkey. The two sides discussed areas of mutual interest with each other and explored the possibility of initiating scholar exchange program, publication exchange, and joint conferences and seminars on mutually agreed themes.

DG also met with Ali Sahin, Chairman of South Asia Strategic Research Center (GASM), the first Turkish think tank that focuses South Asian region exclusively. Khalid Rahman and Ali Sahin discussed the regional issues and “decided to carry out capacity building projects to enhance civil dynamics of Pakistan.”

In another meeting with Fatih Ceran of Journalist Writers’ Foundation, the avenues for cooperation between the two organizations were discussed. Ceran took keen interest in IPS publications and research activities.

Khalid Rahman also called upon Mustafa Edib Yilmaz of Today’s Zaman, one of the largest circulated English newspaper in Turkey. The two officials underscored the need to develop channels for reaching out to indigenous perspectives instead of relying on the international sources.