(Clockwise from top left) Overseas voters registration at Tuzla Port; e-Passport registration; Embassy personnel provides samples of dried mangoes and banana chips to the owner of the store Ortaklar  Kuruyemiş; GAD Focal Person Ericka Anna Abad (left) and Attaché Girlie Dinso (right) pose for a photo with UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Representative to Turkey Ingibjorg Gisladottir. (Upper photos courtesy of Mr. Cristopher Baguya;lower photos courtesy of Ms. Girlie Dinso.)

04 August 2015 - A team from the Philippine Embassy in Ankara conducted the Embassy's monthly mission in Istanbul from July 25 to 27.

In pursuit of its overseas voters registration targets, two members of the Embassy Team visited the port of Tuzla in Istanbul on July 25 and registered 20 seafarers as overseas voters for the elections in 2016. The next day, the Embassy team provided consular services to more than 50 Filipinos in Istanbul. During the consular services, the Embassy processed 24 e-Passport applications, registered 30 overseas voters  for 2016, processed six reports of birth and marriage, received 21 applications for Embassy ID registrations for Filipinos in Turkey and provided Assistance-To-Nationals (ATN) consultations to three clients, some of which are either experiencing problems in their employment in Turkey or potential victims of trafficking.

As part of the economic diplomacy program of the mission, the Embassy team met with Mr. Ahmet Çoban, the owner of Ortaklar Kuruyemiş, a popular store selling dried fruits and nuts in Istanbul, to convince Mr. Çoban to source their dried mangoes and banana chips from the Philippines.

The team also called on Ms. Ingibjorg Gisladottir, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Representative to Turkey, to discuss possible future cooperation on GAD projects/programs. During the meeting, the Embassy and UN Women agreed to collaborate on a Gender Sensitivity training for Embassy personnel. END