The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization has reelected Turkey to its 40-member council Saturday for the 2016-2017 period.
According the statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkey was reelected a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council during the 29th General Assembly meeting held in London, receiving 137 votes among 157 countries.
"Turkey being a member once again has reinforced our strong position in technical issues such as UN maritime safety and security and the prevention of marine pollution." said the statement.
The member countries are categorized in groups A, B and C in accordance to their fleet size and commercial volume. Turkey has been in category C since 1999.
The IMO has the responsibility to take binding decisions for member countries on maritime issues. It includes 171 member countries, 76 international nongovernmental observatory institutions and 64 intergovernmental institutions.
Turkey joined the IMO on July 25, 1956 and served as the president of the General Assembly between 2013 and 2015 as permanent representative of the organization.
