Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Dr. Cemil Tugay, hosted the Ambassador of France to Ankara, Isabelle Dumont, the Consul General of France in İstanbul, Nadia Fanton, and the Country Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), Xavier Muron. During the meeting, a wide range of topics were discussed, from investments supported by international financing to mutual cultural relations. Mayor Tugay called for joint efforts to further enhance cooperation between İzmir and French cities.

Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay welcomed Ambassador Isabelle Dumont and the accompanying French delegation, who were visiting İzmir for a series of engagements. The delegation’s first visit was to Mayor Tugay. Held at İzmir Art Center, the meeting was attended by Ambassador Isabelle Dumont; Consul General Nadia Fanton; Secretary General of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Zeki Yıldırım; Deputy Secretaries-General Prof. Dr. Pınar Okyay and Övünç Özgen; AFD Country Director Xavier Muron; AFD Municipal Infrastructure Sector Project Manager Tülin Keyik; Honorary Consuls of France in İzmir Bernard Arkas and Zeliha Toprak; along with municipal officials. Discussions focused on ongoing and planned projects supported by AFD, the planning of mutual cultural initiatives, strengthening ties between İzmir and French cities, and İzmir’s participation in the upcoming One Health Summit to be held next week in Lyon, France.

“We Can Take Relations Between İzmir and French Cities Much Further”
Emphasizing the importance of İzmir’s representation at the One Health Summit in Lyon, Mayor Tugay stated their intention to strengthen ties with French cities. “We truly have very strong relations with French culture. İzmir has always been a Francophile city. The French Cultural Center has consistently made valuable contributions to İzmir’s social and cultural life. We can take relations between İzmir and French cities to a much higher level. We would like to invite prominent French cultural figures and academics to İzmir. I would also like to thank the French Development Agency and hope for the continuation of your support in the future,” he said.

“Thank You for Your Contribution to Sustaining French Culture”
Inviting Mayor Tugay to collaborate on initiatives that will build a cultural bridge between İzmir and France, Ambassador Isabelle Dumont said, “We are very pleased that İzmir will participate in the health summit to be held in France next week. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has made significant contributions to many events organized by the French Cultural Center here. Your efforts in sustaining French culture and maintaining these relations are very valuable to us. We would like to thank you once again. This weekend, we will announce to the people of İzmir an important exhibition that they will meet in September. We are always ready to support your efforts to strengthen relations with French cities.”

“We Attach Great Importance to Our Artists Connecting with the People of İzmir”
Consul General Nadia Fanton stated, “We have a strong connection with the French Cultural Center in order to foster closer ties between İzmir and French cities. We place great importance on bringing many artists from France to İzmir and enabling them to connect with the people of İzmir. We also make efforts to ensure that our writers and academics visit İzmir.”

“We Want to Continue AFD–İzmir Cooperation”
Expressing full support for the municipality’s projects, AFD Country Director Xavier Muron said, “We have very valuable cooperation between AFD and İzmir. We are working together on transportation as well as various other projects. We are closely collaborating on the Buca Metro. We are also aware of the challenges you face and would like to explore ways to overcome them. We would be very pleased to continue our cooperation with you.”
Following the meeting, Mayor Tugay presented Ambassador Dumont with a copy of a book written by her father, Paul Dumont, to be signed. Ambassador Dumont promised to have the book signed by her father and return it to Mayor Tugay.

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