Izmir Metropolitan Municipality announces its decision on Gaza

The third ordinary council meeting of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for the month of June was held at Çeşme Castle, presided over by Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay.

37 motions added to the agenda during the council meeting were discussed and put to a vote.

The motion for a sister-city protocol with the Palestinian city of Gaza, which had been referred to the legal commission following a proposal by the AKP, MHP, and CHP groups in the previous session, was also discussed.

The proposal to establish a sister-city relationship between Izmir and Gaza, submitted with the joint will of all party groups to strengthen solidarity with the people of Gaza and demonstrate support for them, was accepted unanimously.

MINISTRY APPROVAL REQUIRED

Speaking on the matter, Metropolitan Mayor Tugay expressed his satisfaction with the decision and stated the following:

"We will stand by a city and a people suffering from oppression; this is what befits us. As with relationships established with cities in foreign countries, the approval of the Ministry is strictly required by legal regulations. We do not anticipate any problems, but once we have completed that process, if Gaza also accepts, we will have signed a sister-city protocol with them. What I wish for from the bottom of my heart is for the attacks there to stop as soon as possible, for peace to be established, and, of course, for the rights of the people of Gaza and Palestine to not be violated in any way.

The decision we have taken also means this: when the war there ends and we are able to go there—because they do not allow us to go right now—we, as the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, will take on as much responsibility as we can to repair the destruction caused by the war and to stand by the people who have been traumatized and have suffered every kind of pain. I am willing to go there myself. Even if they gave permission today, I am ready to go; I say this very clearly."