ADVERTISING
Hanno Benz confirms solidarity with Ecrem İmamoğlu and calls for strengthening local partnerships
At the invitation of the Turkish City Day TBB, Mayor Hanno Benz took part in a conference of German and Turkish City Oberhärpter in Istanbul on Tuesday (April 8). The German Cities Day was the official cooperation partner of the event. The invitation to the conference had already been given weeks ago by the then TBB President and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has now been detained.
Benz used the meeting to renew a significant declaration of solidarity: "We stand alongside Ekrem İmamoğlu and, together with him, commit ourselves to European values such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights." The Presidium of the German City Day had already passed a corresponding resolution at the end of March.
In a joint explanation at the city partner summit, the participants emphasized: "Cities are places where democracy and freedoms are lived and protected. Local administrations are central institutions for a fair and participative society."
Benz said: "We have expressed our solidarity with all democratically elected mayors who were withdrawn from freedom - like our colleague Ekrem İmamoğlu."
As part of the conference, the Mayor of Darmstadt also met Mustafa Bozbey, the new Mayor of Bursa, with which Darmstadt has maintained a town twinning since 1971. Both emphasized their will to deepen the cooperation and further strengthen the exchange between the two cities.
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/HO)
