The delegation visits the 25th Xiamen Stone Fair. [Photo/WeChat account of XMFAO]
To further strengthen the sister-city relationship with Xiamen, a 17-member delegation led by Ramazan Tezcan, the secretary-general of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, visited Xiamen from March 15 to 17. Kaan Baskurt, consul general of Turkiye in Guangzhou, accompanied the delegation during the visit.
During the meeting on March 17, Zhang Quan, the director general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Xiamen Municipal People's Government, stated that Xiamen and Izmir have maintained close exchanges in economic, trade, cultural, and youth programs since establishing ties. Xiamen looks forward to using this visit as an opportunity to further deepen cooperation in municipal governance and urban development, C&E tourism, as well as cultural and educational exchanges between the two cities.
Tezcan remarked that Xiamen's ecological governance and municipal management standards had left a deep impression on the delegation. He noted that Xiamen's rich cultural heritage and strong complementarity with Izmir present excellent cooperation opportunities, expressing his hope in elevating the sister-city relationship to new heights through shared collaboration.
During their stay in Xiamen, the delegation visited Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen Botanic Garden, and Xiamen Municipal Gaoqi Water Purification Plant, among other sites. They engaged in in-depth discussions with relevant institutions and enterprises on ecological and environmental protection, municipal landscaping, trade, and education, aiming to promote mutual learning and practical cooperation between the two cities.
The delegation, alongside Turkish entrepreneurs, participated in a business matchmaking session to explore business opportunities. During the event, the Xiamen CCPIT and the Aegean Exporters' Associations signed a memorandum of cooperation, committing to leverage their strengths in investment promotion, online consulting, and project implementation.
Additionally, the delegation attended the 25th Xiamen Stone Fair and related events, including the opening ceremony of the Turkey Stone Pavilion.
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