Turkey aims to make Istanbul a ‘UN center’

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (R) hands an award to Istanbul Mayor Topbaş. DHA photo

In signing a cooperation protocol with the Istanbul Municipality Government, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the government aims to make Istanbul a major hub for the United Nations and world financial and cultural organizations.

Davutoğlu said the government wanted to make Istanbul a center for politics and diplomacy as a “U.N. city.” “We want all countries’ flags to wave in Istanbul. It’s a diplomatic perspective.
“We aim to make Istanbul a U.N. center for issues of mediation, peace and issues concerning the future of humanity,” Davutoğlu said. “We agree with the U.N. on these matters and determined we have an important place [in these discussions].”

The foreign minister also said the government hopes Istanbul will become a center for finance, a main center for global economic influx and a main station for transportation lines. He said Turkey has already had talks with Switzerland and Luxembourg on the subject.

Davutoğlu said if human culture were to be encompassed in three cities, Istanbul would be one of them. It was crowned the European Capital of Culture in 2010.

At the annual ambassadors’ meeting held in Istanbul, Davutoğlu said he was proud to give Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş this year’s award honoring a Turkish statesman’s contributions to diplomacy.
At the ambassadors’ conference, Turkey signed an agreement to be the host country for the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTSC).

Davutoğlu said the CCTSC headquarters will be in Istanbul under the agreement, contributing to the effort to make Istanbul a center for international organizations.