A 13-member Turkish volunteer medical team, consisting of plastic surgeons, assistants, operating room nurses and operating room technicians, will perform approximately 50 surgeries in the fields of plastic surgery and oral and maxillofacial surgery over one week in Kosovo.

Coordinated by the Interplast Türkiye Association and supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party (KDTP), the team from various cities in Türkiye has begun its work at the Kosovo University Clinical Center (QKUK) in the capital, Pristina.

Turkish doctors met with Kosovo Health Minister Arben Vitia, Türkiye's Ambassador to Pristina Sabri Tunç Angılı, KDTP General Chairperson and Minister of Regional Development Fikrim Damka, and TIKA Pristina Coordinator Fulya Aslan.

Vitia, in his speech, expressed his gratitude to the Turkish medical team and the friendly Turkish state for their assistance, investments and long-standing collaboration in the health sector.

Vitia noted that Kosovar health professionals would have the opportunity to enhance their professional skills during this process, stating: "We need the extraordinary expertise of the friendly Turkish state as a government and especially as health care professionals. I believe this will be the first step of a continuing collaboration."

Angılı highlighted that one of the key pillars of cooperation between Kosovo and Türkiye is health care, saying: "What you (Turkish doctors) do for Kosovar patients is also important for the local doctors in terms of gaining knowledge and experience, and it will be an investment in the future. Since we consider Kosovo as our brother, such aid is never just words between us."

Damka added that efforts would continue to advance the strong relations between Türkiye and Kosovo in various fields.

Professor Osman Metin Yavuz, president of the Interplast Türkiye Association and head of the Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Çukurova University, explained that the team plans to carry out approximately 50 surgeries in Kosovo over one week.

The cooperation aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience between Turkish and Kosovar health care professionals.