Turkey opens school in Colombia
The school, built by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), was opened in a ceremony by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
A school in rural Colombia built by Turkey's aid agency was opened with an inauguration ceremony attended by the country's president, Juan Manuel Santos.
The school in the Orejon area of Antioquia, in the country's northwest, the first region to see the benefits of last year's government peace deal with guerrillas, was built by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony two weeks ago, Santos conveyed his special thanks for the support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown development in his country.
"We thank our friend Erdogan for sending assistance to this school," Santos said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos conveyed special thanks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support of the country's development during his speech at the inauguration ceremony, on May 16, 2017.
He added that the school would also become a major employer in the region besides its main purpose of educating rural children.
Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for ending years of conflict with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas, underlined Turkey's support for making peace and thanked the Turkish government and its people.
More than 50 years of violent conflict in the country has claimed over 200,000 lives and forced more than 7 million people from their homes.
Besides Colombia, TİKA gives technical and developmental support to other Latin American countries, implementing projects in Guyana, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia.