Liberia: Turkey Donates 20 Buses, 2 Trucks to Liberia

Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan at the head of a six-man Liberian delegation has concluded a weeklong visit to Turkey with the donation of twenty (20) buses to the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) by the City of Istanbul, Turkey.

A Foreign Ministry dispatch discloses that out of the 20 buses, four buses will be given to the Liberia National Police (LNP) while one goes to the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC). A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) making the donation a reality was signed on Thursday, May 15, 2014 at a colorful ceremony held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Monrovia City Mayor Mrs. Clara Doe Mvogo signed for the MCC while Mr. Mimin Kahveci, Deputy General Manager of the Istanbul Electric Tramway, and Tunnel (IETT) General Directorate signed on behalf of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

According to the MOU, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will provide assorted spare parts for the buses over a one-year period and also dispatch a three-man technical team (one mechanic, an electrician and driver) from the IETT (the company responsible for public transportation in Istanbul) to Monrovia to conduct onsite training for a period of one month following the arrival of the buses in Liberia.

The donation of the 20 buses is a result of the sister-city relations between Monrovia and Istanbul that was agreed upon in 2013.

Foreign Minister Ngafuan who witnessed the signing ceremony on behalf of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the Government and People of Liberia as well as the citizens of Monrovia expressed sincere thanks to the Mayor and all the members of the municipality of Istanbul, the Turkish Ambassador to Liberia and the people of Turkey for what he described as a great donation to Liberia.

"Since our arrival in Turkey, we have held many productive and mutually rewarding meetings in Ankara and in Istanbul, but obviously this ceremony tonight is the crowning moment because it is a concrete

demonstration of strong partnership. These buses will bring relief to a good number of Liberian students, workers, marketers, and ordinary people who huddle on the streets for hours looking for means to go to or from school, work, market or elsewhere.", the Liberian Foreign Minister stated.

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Liberia: Turkey Donates 20 Buses, 2 Trucks to Liberia