The Indian Embassy in Ankara celebrated the 55th anniversary of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day on Thursday with the participation of officials and Turkish participants of the program.

Delivering an opening speech, India's Ambassador to Ankara Sanjay Bhattacharyya said the program holds a significant place in strengthening the interaction between Indian people and participants from different countries, adding that the embassy has increased slots for Turkish applicants this year.

After the ambassador, participants of the program from Turkey in different fields including engineering, software and yoga shared their experiences regarding their expertise.

The event was also attended by Ambassador Hakan Rıza Tekin, director general for the South Asia department at the Turkish Foreign Ministry and many ITEC alumni.

"We are willing to further our cooperation with India in every possible field on a mutually beneficial basis. I consider our cooperation in science and education important pillars of our bilateral relations," Tekin said.

The ITEC program is fully funded by the Indian government to share the country’s developmental experience with 161 countries, including Turkey. The courses are given in different areas including computers, engineering, information technology, journalism, banking, legislation, power, remote sensing, manpower research, education, empowerment of women, hydrology, law enforcement, business planning and promotion, accounts and finance.