TÜRKİYE-GERMANY SISTER CITIES GATHERED IN ISTANBUL
İMAMOĞLU EMPHASIZED DEMOCRACY IN HIS LETTER FROM SİLİVRİ
UMT DEPUTY PRESIDENT KARALAR: “We will continue to defend international cooperation against injustice.”
The Türkiye-Germany Sister Cities Summit, organized in collaboration between the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) and the German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), was held at the Istanbul Congress Center.
At the opening of the summit, which aims to strengthen the ties between the cities of the two countries, a letter from President of the UMT Ekrem İmamoğlu and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), who has been imprisoned in Silivri Prison since March 23-was read out loud.
A letter from İmamoğlu emphasizing democracy
The letter, sent from Silivri Prison, was read by UMT Executive Board Member and Mayor of Büyükçekmece, Dr. Hasan Akgün. Noting their desire for all detained mayors to return to duty while their trials are ongoing, Akgün emphasized that İmamoğlu had been elected mayor of Istanbul three consecutive times.
In his letter from prison, İmamoğlu stated: “It is with great regret that I cannot be with you today at this important meeting that brings together the local governments of Türkiye and Germany-a platform I am honored to be a thought leader for. I have been imprisoned not for legal reasons, but entirely for political ones, based on unfounded accusations. I send you my warmest greetings from my cell in Silivri.
The world is entering a new era. In this period, whether countries stand with democracy or against it will determine the future of nations and the world. The struggle will be between the people and oligarchs, democracy and one-man regimes. I believe that strengthening the bloc of democracy worldwide is critically important for a more peaceful and stable future.
In Türkiye, citizens from all walks of life -especially the youth- are raising their voices in support of democracy, justice, and national will. We see that many countries and cities around the world stand in solidarity with this voice, and we thank them. We also note with sadness the silence of some of our friends.
Türkiye and Germany share a long-standing friendship and cooperation. Our greatest wish is that this cooperation continues to flourish and results in beneficial partnerships for both our countries and cities. The prerequisite for this is undoubtedly a strong democracy, legal assurance, and political stability. A democratic Türkiye will clearly make valuable contributions to the European Union.
I hope today’s gathering will bring positive outcomes for our countries and local governments. I once again send you all my warmest regards, in the hope of seeing you again soon.”
Following the reading of İmamoğlu’s letter; Director for Southeast Europe, Türkiye, OSCE, and the Council of Europe at the German Foreign Ministry Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel, Deputy Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Nuri Aslan, Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker, Vice President of the German Association of Cities and Mayor of Hannover Belit Onay and UMT Deputy President and Mayor of Adana Metropolitan Zeydan Karalar delivered their opening remarks. Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner joined the summit via video message.
Karalar: “We will defend dialogue against darkness, solidarity against oppression.”
UMT Deputy President and Mayor of Adana Metropolitan Zeydan Karalar reminded the audience that İmamoğlu was the visionary behind the summit.
Describing İmamoğlu’s arrest as “the usurpation of a democratically elected leader’s right to representation,” Karalar said: “The Turkish people have not remained silent in the face of this injustice; despite all obstacles, they have been voicing their demands in the streets for weeks.” He added that he had been elected UMT Deputy President just twelve days ago and expressed hope for the rule of law to prevail in Türkiye.
“From Van to Mardin, from Halfeti to İstanbul and Esenyurt, mayors who have been arrested should regain their freedom. I want to say that I am ready and willing to return this seat to President Ekrem İmamoğlu once he is free.”
Karalar emphasized that they stand firmly against all forms of injustice, saying, “We will continue to defend dialogue against darkness, solidarity against oppression, and international cooperation against illegality.”
Aslan: “There is no salvation alone-either we all succeed together or none of us do.”
IMM Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan highlighted that the summit was born from an idea İmamoğlu was excited to realize. He emphasized that the gathering was not only an occasion to recall shared values but also a powerful opportunity to look toward the future together and to further strengthen city-level solidarity.
“İstanbul will never back down from defending democracy. As İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, we are determined to shape our shared future with a spirit of solidarity, rooted in universal values and the strength of local governance. There is a line that our President uses in his struggle for democracy: ‘There is no salvation alone-either we all succeed together or none of us do.’”
Ambassador Reiffenstuel: “Sister city partnerships are expressions of friendship between local governments.”
Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel stressed the importance of local governments in his speech. He pointed out that over 3 million Turkish citizens live in Germany and emphasized that, thanks to these deep human connections, Turkish-German relations have always had a special character.
“Sister city agreements are expressions of mutual understanding and friendship between local governments,” said Reiffenstuel, adding that the meeting was of great importance to them.
Reker: “I’m here to show solidarity with İmamoğlu.”
Mayor of Cologne and Board Member of the German Association of Cities Henriette Reker noted that nearly 200,000 people of Turkish origin live in Cologne.
“I stand in solidarity with UMT President and IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu,” said Reker. “Sister city agreements are incredibly valuable partnerships. We are in close contact with both İmamoğlu and other mayors. We share a cultural kinship. I think of İmamoğlu every day and send him my heartfelt thoughts. Warm thoughts always reach their destination. I can only express my solidarity in this way. That’s why I’m here.”
Wegner: “We need free mayors”
Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner, who joined the summit via video, emphasized the bond between İstanbul and Berlin as sister cities. He said İmamoğlu’s imprisonment served as a reminder of the importance of the rule of law.
“I place great importance on youth cooperation-when young people meet, they break down prejudices. We have cultural cooperation, and to keep the dialogue channels open and to work for the future, we need free mayors,” he stated.
Onay: “The summit will contribute to Turkish-German municipal relations”
Belit Onay, Deputy President of the German Association of Cities and Mayor of Hannover, reminded the audience that nearly 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany and that Germany has investments in Türkiye. He noted that the summit would contribute to Turkish-German local government relations and emphasized the significant economic contributions of German citizens of Turkish origin.
“We believe in European values, and we are deeply saddened that the highly respected Mayor of Istanbul, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu, is not among us today. I hope he rejoins us as soon as possible.”
The summit, moderated by journalist and host Ali Aslan, features sessions evaluating the future of cooperation between Turkish and German cities. The sessions are titled “Cities as Strong Drivers of Democracy and Freedoms” and “Mayors’ Roundtable: The Future of Turkish-German Municipal Cooperation.”