Alongside the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou, there will be mayors from Europe, including Kostas Bakoyannis
On the side of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou, there will be mayors from Europe, including Kostas Bakoyannis, in the context of a debate on the topic “Cities: Democracy and Development”, which will be held on the evening of Wednesday, December 28, at the city hall of Istanbul.
The mayors of Athens, Hanover, Paris and Florence, as well as the general secretary of the Eurocities European Network, will take part in a discussion with the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou, about the central role and cooperation of cities in issues between others concern the protection of Democracy and the Rule of Law. Mayors from the European cities of Linz (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), Utrecht (Netherlands) and Hamburg (Germany) will also address a greeting via the Internet.
It is recalled that six months before the crucial presidential elections in Turkey, the mayor of Istanbul, Mr. Imamoglu, was sentenced to more than two years in prison and deprived of his political rights.
The decision caused a political “earthquake” both inside Turkey and outside its borders.
After the announcement of the decision, the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, was one of the first to contact Mr. Imamoglou, conveying the support of his European counterparts, who participate in the cities’ diplomatic networks.
“A truly dark day for Democracy in neighboring Turkey. The decision to deprive a mayor, an ally of peace, justice and universality of his freedom and civil rights, causes sadness and anger […] I am sure that the people and history will vindicate him”, said in his post Mr. Bakoyiannis, who had visited Istanbul at the beginning of November, in the context of strengthening the cooperation between the two cities and in preparation for the first meeting of Balkan Cities Network Summit (B40 Balkan Cities Network Summit), which will take place in January in Athens.
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