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Turkey set to create own Antarctic research station next year — president

Currently, the Antarctic continent is home to about 90 permanent and seasonal polar stations of more than 20 countries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Alexei Nikolsky/TASS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© Alexei Nikolsky/TASS

ANKARA, June 17. /TASS/. Turkey is set to create its own research station in the Antarctic next year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his Twitter page on Saturday evening.

"By 2019, we will create a scientific basis for making Turkey one of about 30 nations who have research polar stations in the Antarctic," he said.

The Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961 after being signed in 1959 by the 12 founding nations. Turkey is among dozens of other nations who joined it later.

In line with the agreement, the region is to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited. Currently, the Antarctic continent is home to about 90 permanent and seasonal polar stations of more than 20 countries.

The idea of creating a Turkish research station in the Antarctic was first voiced by Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center Director Burcu Ozsoy in February 2017. She said that a group of scientists will be set up to study technical issues and economic feasibility of the project.

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