Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak took part in the Turkey–Germany Sister Cities Summit, organised in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB) and the German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag).

The Turkey–Germany Sister Cities Summit, jointly organised by the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB) and the German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), was held at the Istanbul Congress Centre.

At the Summit, the sessions “Cities as Strong Dynamics of Democracy and Freedoms” and “Mayors’ Roundtable: The Future of Cooperation Between Turkish and German Municipalities” were discussed.

Speaking at the session “Cities as Strong Dynamics of Democracy and Freedoms”, Co-Mayor Bucak stated that the operation carried out against Ekrem İmamoğlu was regarded as a blow to the unity of urban consensus established in the local elections held in Türkiye a year ago.

‘I call for the end of the trustee policy in Türkiye’

Drawing attention to the eight-year-long trustee regime, Co-Mayor Bucak said:

“Indeed, what happened to İmamoğlu has in fact been the reality in the South-East of our country, in the provinces where Kurds live, for the past eight years — the trustee regime. Elected mayors, unfortunately, are being sent to prison and, regrettably, trustees are being appointed in their place. This is precisely why local democracy is so vital and indispensable. I would like to underline this and call for the trustee policy in Türkiye to come to an end. If governments persist in pursuing their oppressive and anti-democratic policies, the most significant means of opening the way forward will be cities, the democratic networks within cities, and the diplomatic relations that cities establish with one another — relations of consensus and urban diplomacy. I wish to stress the importance of this.”

‘We wish to become a sister city with a municipality in Germany’

Pointing out that Diyarbakır does not yet have a sister city in Germany, Bucak recalled that very important relations had been developed with Hannover Municipality in 2014, and said:

“We carried out projects to bring cities together, to bring peoples together. From today onwards, we certainly wish to revive this sister city initiative and to become a sister city with a municipality in Germany.”

‘Democratic stance in cities is crucial for women’s freedom’

Co-Mayor Bucak concluded her remarks as follows:

“Undoubtedly, the democratic stance and organisation of peoples in cities is also of great importance in terms of women’s freedom. Diyarbakır is a city that embraces women’s liberation. Through our feminist policies and women-centred approaches, we must bring together women’s networks in certain German cities, as well as create youth networks, cultural networks, and thus enable cities to come together around youth, culture and women’s policies.”

The programme was attended by TBB Vice President and Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar; Michael Reiffenstuel, Ambassador and Director for South-Eastern Europe, Türkiye, OSCE and the Council of Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office; Henriette Reker, Member of the Board of the German Association of Cities and Mayor of Cologne; Belit Onay, Vice President of the German Association of Cities and Mayor of Hannover; as well as many others.