Madrid - The new Ambassador of Turkey, Mr Cihad Erginay, accompanied by two of his staff, paid a courtesy visit to Mr Abdellatif Ghédira, the Executive Director of the International Olive Council, who received them in the presence of Mr Mustafa Sepetçi and Mr Jaime Lillo, the Deputy Executive Directors, and Mr Mounir Fourati, the Head of the External Relations Department.
The meeting focused on cooperation between Turkey and the IOC to the great satisfaction of the Turkish party. Mr Ghédira took the opportunity to thank the Turkish authorities for successfully organising the five-day international panel leadership training course in Izmir, Turkey.
The Turkish Ambassador emphasised that olive growing is part of Turkish life and that growing production in his country should not come at the expense of quality. He lamented the impact of climate change on olive trees in southern Turkey, and asked the Executive Director to ensure the Executive Secretariat and the experts of the IOC were working hard to find solutions.
Mr. Ghédira assured him that the IOC would help Turkey however it could and that technical cooperation remains one of the IOC's top priorities.
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