The 44th Session of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities took place in Strasbourg, France, on 20 - 23 March 2023.
The meetings started with a moment of silence for the earthquakes that occured in Türkiye. Following the Bureau and Political Group meetings held on the first day, a reception was hosted by Ambassador Nurdan Bayraktar Golder, who took over the duty of Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the Council of Europe on 13 January 2023. Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Tahir Büyükakın, Mayor of Ordu Metropolitan Municipality Mehmet Hilmi Güler, Mayor of Karabük Rafet Vergili, Mayor of Uşak Mehmet Çakın, Mayor of Büyükçekmece Hasan Akgün, Mayor of Yerköy Ferhat Yılmaz, Çanakkale Provincial Assembly Member Güneş Pehlivan, Yenimahalle and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Council Member Lale Bektaş, Şehitkamil Council Member Enes Özkarslı, representatives of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Delegation, representatives of the Ministry and UMT attended the reception.
On March 21, the Council of Europe organized a solidarity market to support earthquake victims. In the opening speeches, solidarity campaign organized jointly with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe Solidarity Group to help Türkiye, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek, President of the Parliamentary Assembly Tiny Kox and Head of Turkish Delegation Tahir Büyükakın made short speeches.
After the opening, a solidarity market featuring traditional artists and food was organized by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Nowruz, and aid was collected for earthquakes in Türkiye.
The 44th Session continued with Chamber of Local Authorities and Chamber of Regions meetings. Future of the Council of Europe and the role of the Congress, localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the resilience of cities and regions in the face of crises and environmental issues were discussed. On the last day of the meetings, Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Uğur İbrahim Altay conveyed the works in the earthquake area at the Session.