The Mayor of the Capital, Ciprian Ciucu, discussed with the Mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas—who was visiting Bucharest—ways to improve the connection between the two cities to foster tourism development as well as economic and cultural relations.

Ciucu noted that Bucharest and Ankara have been sister cities since 1998 but have not had very close ties in recent times.

'My goal for this term is to revitalize Bucharest's sister-city partnerships. They are important. We have identified several areas where we can collaborate. Naturally, we will also hold a meeting with the business community. There is a strong Turkish business community in Romania, and (...) it is crucial that we collaborate in the economic sphere as well. They appreciated the fact that Bucharest is a very green city, and I told them it would become even greener. They really like the look of the city and our historic buildings—which are beautiful and offer great potential—though, obviously, we need to reinforce them and better integrate them into the economic landscape, given Bucharest's immense potential,' stated Ciucu, according to a post on the Bucharest City Hall's Facebook page.

Mansur Yavas advocated establishing contacts between companies with a view to future collaborations.

'We will visit the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and establish specific projects to implement this program. (...) The support Romania offers Turkey is very important, especially the backing you show for our accession to the European Union. We want to build bridges of lasting friendship and shared prosperity,' he stated.

According to the Bucharest City Hall, the Turkish delegation and Mayor Ciprian Ciucu's team discussed projects aimed at the structural reinforcement of buildings.

'In the last 20 years alone, the Turkish capital has experienced two major earthquakes. Their expertise in this field will be useful to us in reinforcing buildings in the Old Town and beyond,' the Capital's City Hall announced.

Another objective is to boost tourism between the two cities. The two mayors agreed to connect cultural institutions and universities so they can jointly develop cultural and educational programs.

'The two capitals are separated by a flight of just two hours. Mayor Ciprian Ciucu expressed a desire for better air connectivity between the cities to boost tourism: enabling Ankara residents to visit more easily on weekends and allowing Bucharesters to discover Turkey beyond the summer resorts,' the municipality stated.

Another area being targeted is that of medical services.

'Ankara offers top-tier medical services, ranging from highly complex medical care to aesthetic treatments and thermal centers. Turkish clinics are already present in Bucharest, but we aim to further encourage this sector. It would represent an investment opportunity for our city and a chance for specialists from the Turkish city to gain access to the whole of Europe,' the Bucharest City Hall added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Irinela Visan;EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)

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