SIGNED LETTER OF INTENTIONS TO ESTABLISH COOPERATION BETWEEN NOVI SAD AND ALANYA

29.06.2022.

The Mayor of Novi Sad, Miloš Vučević, and the President of the Municipality of Alanya from Turkey, Adem Murat Yücel, signed a Letter of Intentions on establishing cooperation between the two cities, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Belgrade, H.E. Hami Aksoy . The leaders of the two cities assessed that there are objective opportunities for developing partnerships, primarily in the field of tourism due to the great potential of both cities in that industry, following the field of culture, bearing in mind that Novi Sad is the current European Capital of Culture in 2022, including the areas of sports and education.

- It is a great honour and pleasure for me that Novi Sad is expanding its network of friends and cities with which it cooperates in these challenging times, which serves to the pride of all Novi Sad residents. I am proud of what the City has done in the past ten years by doubling the number of friend cities. We started with Modena, and today we have a large number of sister cities. This is an important day for everyone, since Alanya is the first city from Turkey with which Novi Sad realizes this type of cooperation at the highest level. I am glad that we will apply in practice what is written on paper, and that is cooperation in the field of economy, culture, education, sports and tourism. This is a confirmation of good relations between the two countries, and Serbia's strategic interest is to have the best possible relations with Turkey due to its important influence on the countries of the Western Balkans. It should not be forgotten that Turkey is one of the largest investors in Serbia. We have had different relations throughout history, but today we are ready to open a new chapter of good cooperation. A few days ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey also visited our country, and we expect the arrival of President Erdogan during the summer, which is an indicator of good relations between the two countries - Mayor Vučević said.

The President of the Municipality of Alanya Adem Murat Yücel pointed out that the first step towards establishing a lasting friendship between Novi Sad and Alanya was taken today.

-By signing the Letter of Intentions, we contribute to the establishment of relations in the field of culture, tourism, sports, history and education. Alanya has nurtured good relations with 21 countries for 30 years, whereas Germany, Lithuania, Finland, Macedonia and China are just some of them. In addition, Alanya is a multicultural and multinational city in which over 50,000 foreigners, members of 130 different nations, have found their home. We are proud to represent a meeting place for so many peoples. I hope that the signing of this document will bring benefits for both cities - Adem Murat Yücel said and added that the intention is to take concrete steps towards achieving that goal as soon as possible.