Dear Colleagues,

Turkish National Society of Endoscopic Laparoscopic Surgery (ELCD), since the day it was founded, considers contributing to education in the fields of laparoscopic surgery and endoscopy as its primary responsibility and organizes courses and congresses as a requirement of this responsibility. We are proud and excited to be holding the 16th of these congresses, on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Republic, the first of which was held 30 years ago and held every two years. In cooperation with our colleagues from different countries and international organizations, we will hold the third of the international congresses, the first of which we held in Cyprus in 2019. By organizing this congress together with Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Endoscopic Surgery Association (MMEESA), we aim to strengthen the international dimension of the congress and present current developments and experiences to our esteemed colleagues in a much wider range.

Since robotic surgery has been increasingly used in recent years and has gained an important place in current surgical practices, we have decided to give wider publicity to topics related to robotic surgery in our congress program and to add the word “Robotics” to the name of our congress.

We will hold the Biennial 16th National & 3rd International Endoscopic Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgery Congress  & 21st MMESA Congress on October 26-29, 2023 at the Gloria Hotels Congress Center. We invite all our physicians, who will enable us to reach the position we are in scientifically today and to go further, to join us at our congress, where we will celebrate the first century of our young and dynamic Republic with great pride and enthusiasm.

Our primary goal is; to organize a congress where experienced and well-known surgeons from our country and abroad will share their experiences on endoscopic, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, which is an integral part of minimally invasive interventions with its ever-developing technology. Current developments and surgical techniques will be discussed in interactive sessions. One of our goals is to bring together young surgeons, who are just at the beginning of their profession, our assistants who are devoted to surgery, and our nurses, whom we work under difficult conditions, with experienced surgeons and nurses.

We particularly attach importance to the participation of our young colleagues, nurses and nursing students who are interested in laparoscopic-robotic surgery and endoscopic procedures, to attend our congress and present their scientific studies. We attach great importance to the realization of these presentations, which are one of the most important steps of knowledge sharing and scientific progress. Our colleagues who will make presentations under the title of selected abstracts (oral and video abstracts) will have the opportunity to present their work in the main hall of the congress in an ambiance where all participants are present, and the winning works will be rewarded as in our previous congresses.

With the decision of our board, our association will cover the congress registration and accommodation expenses of the assistants who will present the 40 (forty) abstracts with the highest score among the others, sent by the general surgery assistants, according to the evaluation to be made by the scientific committee.

We invite you, our dear colleagues, assistants and nurses, to our congress on 26-29 October 2023, at Gloria Hotel, one of the most beautiful hotels in Antalya, where we will present a rich and colorful social program with comprehensive and up-to-date scientific content and take the first step into the new century of our Republic.

On behalf of the congress organizing committee, we present our respect and love.

Prof. Dr. Koray KARABULUT                 Prof. Dr. Fatih ALTINTOPRAK
President of Congress                           Secretary of Congress