Science/tech initiative planned for Turkey's missions abroad

The Foreign Ministry is planning a push at its diplomatic missions centered around science and technology, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday. Visiting Harvard University as part of his talks in the US, Davutoglu met with foreign and Turkish students and academics attending or working at the university. Speaking on Turkey's diplomatic priorities, Davutoglu said Turkish diplomats and missions abroad would soon engage in science diplomacy, adding that the Foreign Ministry plans to appoint science attaches to embassies in countries where cutting-edge technological and academic research is done such as the US, Japan, China, Germany and Britain. Stating that this initiative is meant to ensure that scientific developments abroad are quickly reflected in Turkey as well as to help Turkish scientists make more contributions, Davutoglu said, "This way our diplomats will closely follow not only political, diplomatic and economic developments abroad but also scientific and technological advancements and discoveries." The science attaches or counselors will likely be scientists themselves, he added.