Muratpaşa Municipality organized a Peace Forum with delegations from participating cities as part of the Kaleiçi Old Town Festival. The forum, held at Türkan Şoray Cultural Center, brought together delegations from 26 cities across 21 countries, who presented their local peace policies and initiatives.

In his speech, Mayor Uysal drew attention to the wars taking place around the world. He explained that this year’s forum was organized with the theme of peace to highlight these conflicts and raise awareness, and outlined the three pillars of peace as follows:

“The first is peace between national governments — the peace of international politics, the peace among nations.
The second is economic peace — where economic competition is fair, ethical, and sustainable.
The third is intercultural peace — where different cultures respect one another, accept each other as they are, and strive for empathy.

For this entire framework of peace to emerge, a complete and uncompromised set of human rights is essential. People’s rights to information, thought, expression, and political participation must be realized without limits and according to a single universal standard.

As cities, we can contribute greatly to this. Our collaborations are not based on politics but on respect. Our unity serves to preserve cultural heritage, address urban challenges, and highlight the positive impact of tourism and cultural visibility in all cities.”

Expressing his gratitude to all participating countries and city delegations, Mayor Uysal concluded:

“As cities, we have much to contribute to world peace. These strong urban fabrics, these strong urban spirits can contribute greatly to world peace through solidarity. I sincerely thank each of you for taking part in this effort and being a part of this unity.”

At the end of the forum, participating delegations signed a Peace Declaration. Additionally, Muratpaşa Municipality signed cooperation protocols with the cities of Kamianets-Podilski (Ukraine) and Noto (Italy) as a step toward establishing sister city relations.