Istanbul Berlin Fest kicks off

BERLIN - Anatolia News Agency

The Berlin-Istanbul festival has begun, under the auspices of Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Misbah Demircan and the mayor of Berlin’s Mitte District, Christian Hanke. The festival is organized by the Foundation for Intercultural Dialogue (FID).The festival’s opening ceremony took place in one of Berlin’s most famous public squares, the Potsdamer Platz. Berlin-Istanbul festival aims to introduce the cultures of Turkey and Germany to one another. As well as Demircan and Hanke, the Turkish ambassador in Berlin, Hüseyin Avni Karslıoglu, Turkish Consul General Mustafa Pulat, and FID President Ercan Karakoyun attended the opening ceremony.

Both Beyoğlu and Mitte are multi-cultural and multi-faith towns, said Karakoyun. The two municiaplities want to build a bridge between the cultures of Turkey and Germany, he said, and would like their people to get to know each other. Beyoğlu and Mitte are sister municipalities now, and will enjoy a stronger relationship in the future, said Demircan. “What makes a city attractive is how it is different from other cities. We are proud of the differences of our towns.” Folk dancers and whirling dervishes also performed at the ceremony, which was attended by Turkish and German citizens.