The Minister for Housing and Lands, Owen Bonnici, held technical talks and visits to various social and affordable housing projects and facilities in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of a visit aimed at strengthening cooperation and the exchange of experiences and practices in the field of housing.
Minister Bonnici was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Housing and Lands, Ramon Deguara, the Chief Executive of the Housing Authority, Matthew Zerafa, the Director in the Ministry for Housing and Lands, Matthew Borg and also by the Ambassador of Malta to Turkey, Dr Marisa Farrugia.
During the visit, Minister Bonnici visited the TOKİ campus in Halkalı, Istanbul, where he had a meeting with TOKİ Chairman Mustafa Levent Sungur, TOKİ Vice President Ömer Caniklioğlu, TOKİ President Advisor Emre Karaçengel, Head of Implementation Department Murat Oskay, and Head of Istanbul Planning and Projects Department Serhat Günkan.
During this meeting, TOKİ’s experiences in the field of social and affordable housing were discussed as well as the models adopted to develop large-scale social housing projects and, at the same time, create the necessary infrastructure and services for communities.
A visit was also made to the TOKİ Community Center, which is part of the investment in social infrastructure that accompanies social housing projects.
A visit was also made to the TOKİ construction site in Kayabaşı, where an overview was given of the progress of the project and the way in which social and affordable housing is being developed alongside infrastructure and spaces designed for the community.
Minister Owen Bonnici said that this visit is an important opportunity for the Ministry to continue exchanging experiences with other countries on social and affordable housing models and in favour of strengthening relations between the two countries.
“This visit is giving us the opportunity to see up close how large-scale social and affordable housing projects can be developed alongside the infrastructure and services that families and communities need. Our aim is to continue to learn from different experiences and strengthen links between other countries that have vast experience in this sector,” said Minister Bonnici.
He also stressed the importance of social housing not being limited to the construction of residential homes, but being part of a broader vision that creates sustainable and resilient communities, with infrastructure, spaces and services that improve the quality of life of families.
Photo: MAL
