TOKYO, JAPAN - Media OutReach - 3 April 2020 - The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) announced that the Republic of Turkey had become its newest member on 11 March 2020. With the inclusion of Turkey, the APO now has 21 member economies. 

APO Governing Body Chair and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Kingdom of Thailand, Kobchai Sungsitthisawad extended a welcome on behalf of all members: "We are delighted to welcome Turkey as our 21st member. We are particularly grateful to Dr. Halil İbrahim Çetin, the APO Director for Turkey. This is an important step for Turkey's productivity movement as it can now benefit through policy advisory and other APO initiatives in a wide range of fields. We are very pleased to include more diversity in the APO family and looking forward to mutual cooperation with Turkey. Congratulations."  

"The Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey is delighted to be a member of the APO family. We all recognize that the concept of productivity has gained more importance in our lives. Therefore, it is essential to share productivity experiences with other countries in all areas of production," said Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank. He added, "Turkey has been a site of investment for many projects in different areas, and lean production techniques and digital transformation have increasingly been applied industry-wide. We would be happy to learn about the valuable experiences of other APO member countries."

In welcoming Turkey, APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan stated, "We look forward to opening new avenues of cooperation and further strengthening our partnerships. Turkey's active participation will expand the productivity movement in the region and beyond, thus realizing a more productive, sustainable, inclusive Asia-Pacific."

The APO is an intergovernmental organization established in 1961 to increase productivity in the Asia-Pacific region through mutual cooperation. The APO Secretariat is located in Tokyo, Japan.