“WE WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WITH DEMOCRACY”

TBB Council Member and Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce, who attended the Türkiye-Germany Sister Cities Summit organized by the Union of Turkish Municipalities (TBB) and the Union of German Municipalities (Deutscher Städtetag), said, “These relations are very important for the development of democracy. Democracy is not only a subject of politics, it is also a part of local government.”

The Türkiye-Germany Sister Cities Summit organized by the Union of Turkish Municipalities and the Union of German Municipalities was held at the Istanbul Congress Center. The summit was attended by the German Foreign Ministry, Southeastern Europe, Türkiye, OSCE and European Council Director Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker, German Cities Union Vice President, Hannover Mayor Belit Onay and TBB Deputy President, Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar, and many mayors from Türkiye and Germany.

The summit, where Zeydan Karalar, Deputy Chairman of the Union of Turkish Municipalities and Mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, delivered the opening speech, continued with the session titled “Cities as Powerful Dynamics of Democracy and Freedoms.” The session addressed the potential of local governments to build more inclusive and accountable cities in line with the principles of transparency, participation and good governance, while seeking common solutions to global problems.

In the second session, where TBB Board Member and Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce participated as a panelist, evaluations and suggestions were shared regarding the development of Turkish-German sister city relations. Mayor Ünlüce stated that Ekrem İmamoğlu, President of the Union of Turkish Municipalities, supported the holding of this meeting from the very beginning and said, “I hope that Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu will be with us at the next meeting. We cannot fight any problem of a city or the world without democracy. The continuation of friendship and dialogue is very important for the global problems that await the world and for the development of democracy. Democracy is not only a subject of politics; it is also a part of local government.”

Thanking those who contributed to the meeting, Ünlüce said, “The relations between Türkiye and Germany are also very important because of our citizens living there. We demand and support this cooperation to continue to increase.” and concluded his words.