Ankara and Istanbul Ready for More Concrete Forms of Cooperation with Sarajevo

At the invitation of Melih Gökçek, mayor of the twin city Ankara, Sarajevo Mayor Ivo Komšić and Deputy Chairman of the City Council Miro Lazović participated in the work of the 3rd General Assembly of the Global Design Cities Organization (GDCO), reports the Patria news agency.  

By inviting them to a separate meeting, the first man of Ankara, Melih Gökçek, paid special honor to the representatives of the City of Sarajevo.

Mayor Komšić recalled that the Twinning Agreement between Ankara and Sarajevo from 1994 obligates concrete forms of cooperation. In this regard, an exchange of cultural events and cooperation between higher education institutions was proposed. An idea was also initiated to arrange a park in Sarajevo that would be named after the twin city Ankara.

Komšić thanked the hosts for hosting a delegation from the Sarajevo Waterworks at the request of the City of Sarajevo. Representatives of the Ankara Waterworks (ASKI) expressed readiness to help their Sarajevo colleagues according to their capacities so that the citizens of Sarajevo would have a more regular water supply.

On the return from Ankara, Mayor Komšić and his associates were welcomed in Istanbul by Mayor Kadir Topbaş. In a cordial meeting, the mayor of Istanbul stated that Sarajevo enjoys a special reputation with him and his 17 million fellow citizens.

He invited Komšić to more intensive and concrete forms of cooperation for the benefit of Sarajevo. He expressed satisfaction that Istanbul was able to deliver 30 functional and high-quality Mercedes buses to Sarajevo this year.

Mayor Komšić emphasized that these buses restarted lines that had been suspended before their delivery, causing hardship for the citizens of Sarajevo. Topbaş offered that Istanbul organize quality education for unemployed women of Sarajevo, based on which they could earn a living in a dignified manner.

Komšić proposed to Topbaş that Istanbul support the renovation of the Sarajevo tower Bijela tabija. The realization of this project would revitalize a valuable cultural-historical monument, engage local builders, increase Sarajevo's tourism resources, and open space for the employment of young and skilled people.

As a token of gratitude, Komšić presented Topbaş with the Charter „Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo“, which was awarded to him by the City Council of Sarajevo ahead of April 6, the Day of the City of Sarajevo. On this occasion, Komšić invited colleagues from Ankara and Istanbul for a return visit to Sarajevo, which should take place by the end of this year or next year, the City Administration announced.