Delegation from Istanbul headed by the mayor Kadir Topbas will visit Kazan

On July 23-25, 2009 a delegation from Istanbul headed by the mayor Kadir Topbas will visit Kazan. Also the delegation will include the Chief of Istanbul City Hall Staff Muhsin Doğan, Councilor to the Mayor of Istanbul Kortan Celikbilek, an interpreter and a few journalists. Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin will welcome the guests at the airport of Kazan.     

The delegation will be offered an intensive program: the guests will observe the course of preparation to the Universiade, take a tour to Kazan City Hall and Kremlin, visit the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts of Kazan State University, a helicopter plant and a range of other sites. On June 24 the guests will take a helicopter tour from the helicopter plant?s pad to Kazan  National Cultural Center.      

Mayor of Istanbul promised to visit Kazan as far back as in 2007 in connection with the IX World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities held in the capital of Tatarstan. However that time Kadir Topbas could not make it; instead a delegation of 16 members from Istanbul Municipality attended the event.            

Cooperation in the framework of UCLG activities was established between two cities long time ago. Istanbul and Kazan are members of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). Both mayors are UCLG Vice-Presidents. Istanbul is a host city for the headquarter of Middle East and West Asia Regional Section of UCLG (MEWA). Both mayors meet in a regular basis when attending statutory events of the organization. In April 2007 Ilsur Metshin made an official visit to Istanbul where he attended the IV International Summit of the World City Mayors as UCLG Vice-President.     

UCLG Euro-Asia Secretary General Rasikh Sagitov will also take part in the meeting with Istanbul delegation. An agreement on cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of the development and strengthening of decentralization and local self-governance is to be signed by UCLG Euro-Asia and MEWA.     
 

20.07.2009

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