The host country agreement concerning the establishment of an OCHA Office in Istanbul to which certain headquarters functions in Geneva will be relocated in order to support its global humanitarian coordination mandate and field operations worldwide was signed in New York today (21 January).

The conclusion of this agreement is a concrete step towards the goal of transforming Istanbul into a UN hub in line with our enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy.

The decision of OCHA, which is one of our main international partners in humanitarian dimension of the Syrian crisis and the implementation of our multilateral foreign policy in general, to establish an office in Istanbul demonstrates the trust of the international community toward our country and constitutes a confirmation of our leading position in global humanitarian affairs.