Kerem Kınık, the incumbent president of the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), was re-elected Sunday in the elections held during the organization's 101th Ordinary General Assembly.
According to a statement from the Turkish Red Crescent, the assembly was held under the slogan "Kızılay growing, society becoming stronger" with the participation of Vice President Fuat Oktay in the capital Ankara.
After being re-elected with the unanimous support of the organization's 700 members, Kınık expressed his gratitude to his delegates and also praised them for their work in the organization.
"We will take Kızılay's services to higher levels," Kınık said.
The Turkish Red Crescent was originally founded in 1868 as the Society for Aiding Wounded and Ailing Ottoman Soldiers before taking its current name in 1947. Its primary goal was to help soldiers wounded on the fronts, but over time, it evolved into a charity responding to natural and man-made disasters around the world.
Today, it is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey, with an international network to help other nations in need. The charity, marking its 150th anniversary this year, stepped up international activities in recent years, shedding its image of focusing mostly on humanitarian aid within Turkey.
Today, its crews are present in countries hit by conflict, poverty and disasters across the globe, from Yemen to Syria.