Minister for Housing and Lands Owen Bonnici held technical discussions and visited several social and affordable housing projects and facilities in Istanbul, Türkiye, as part of a visit aimed at strengthening cooperation and exchanging experiences and practices in the housing sector.Minister Bonnici was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Housing and Lands, Ramon Deguara; Housing Authority CEO Matthew Zerafa; Director at the Ministry for Housing and Lands Matthew Borg; as well as Malta’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Dr Marisa Farrugia.During the visit, Minister Bonnici visited the TOKİ campus in Halkalı, Istanbul, where he met with TOKİ Chairman Mustafa Levent Sungur, TOKİ Vice President Ömer Caniklioğlu, Advisor to the President of TOKİ Emre Karaçengel, Head of the Implementation Department Murat Oskay, and Head of the Istanbul Planning and Projects Department Serhat Günkan.During the meeting, discussions focused on TOKİ’s experience in the social and affordable housing sector, as well as the models adopted to develop large-scale social housing projects while simultaneously creating the infrastructure and services required by communities.The delegation also visited the TOKİ Community Centre, which forms part of the investment in social infrastructure accompanying social housing projects.A visit was also held at TOKİ’s construction site in Kayabaşı, where the delegation was given an overview of the project’s progress and how social and affordable housing is being developed alongside infrastructure and spaces designed for the community.Minister Owen Bonnici said the visit represented an important opportunity for the Ministry to continue exchanging experiences with other countries on social and affordable housing models, while strengthening relations between the two countries.“This visit is giving us the opportunity to see first-hand how large-scale social and affordable housing projects can be developed together with the infrastructure and services that families and communities need. Our aim is to continue learning from different experiences and strengthen ties with other countries that have extensive experience in this sector,” Minister Bonnici said.He also emphasised the importance of ensuring that social housing is not limited to the construction of residential homes but forms part of a broader vision for creating sustainable and resilient communities, with infrastructure, spaces and services that improve families’ quality of life.•