The Consul-General of Turkey's Tour of the City
Senator Özlem Ünsal, Bremen's senator for Construction, Mobility, and Urban Development, hosted General Consul Yusuf Arikan at the Gobelin Room of the Bremen Town Hall on September 14, 2024, representing Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte. Akin to their thirty-year city partnership, Turkey, and Bremen enjoy close and stable relations, with Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, as a vital partner. Various educational and cultural exchanges, school partnerships, university collaborations, and administrative cooperations have been ongoing activities.
Discussions with representatives from business, culture, and civil society are essential in exploring the current bonds and potential future prospects. Senator Ünsal emphasized the richness and vibrancy of the partnership between Bremen and Turkey, particularly with Izmir, which has been a significant one for over 25 years. According to Ünsal, both cities learn much from each other, mainly in sustainable urban development, innovative mobility, and cultural exchange.
A current, notable pilot project is the 'Digital Twin' program, developed by the State Agency for Geoinformation. This program involves creating a digital twin of Izmir's core area based on Bremen's model. The objectives are to optimize urban planning, strengthen disaster protection measures, and better utilize renewable energies.
With numerous bilateral cooperations planned for 2025, Bremen anticipates active engagement in various sectors. In April, Bremen will attend the German-Turkish Cities Partnership Summit in Istanbul. A networking meeting for German-Turkish relations' actors is scheduled for May in Essen, followed by a reciprocal visit by an economic delegation in September focusing on culture, economy, and urban planning.
In the context of partnerships between Bremen and Izmir, potential projects include sustainable infrastructure initiatives, innovation and technology hubs, and cultural and educational exchanges. Such collaborations may focus on economic development, sustainable infrastructure, and cultural exchange, as is common in Germany-Turkey bilateral cooperation.
- Senator Özlem Ünsal, in her discussions with representatives from various sectors, stresses the importance of exploring and strengthening the partnership between Bremen and Turkey, especially Izmir, focusing on political dynamics and general-news developments in sustainable urban development, innovative mobility, and cultural exchange.
- As the German-Turkish Cities Partnership Summit in Istanbul approaches in April 2025, political alliances and economic cooperation between Bremen and Izmir are set to expand, with potential projects centering on sustainable infrastructure initiatives, innovation and technology hubs, and cultural and educational exchanges: key areas of focus in Germany-Turkey bilateral cooperation.
