President of the Kotor Municipality, Vladimir Jokić, participated in the 13. Silk Road Mayors Forum at the invitation of President of the World Citizens Organization (WCO), Dr. Kwaak YoungHoon and Mayor of Antalya, Mendes Turel.
Kotor became a formal member of Silk Roads Mayor’s Forum in 2012 when the Town Twinning Agreement was signed with the Chinese town of Xi An.
Between many other officials, Dr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, Fatma Sahin, Mayor of Gaziantep and the Mayor of the Turkish Municipalities, as well as Mayor of Antalya Mendes Turel, participated in the work of 13 Silk Road Mayor’s Forum. The basic aim of this Forum is to connect citizens, leaders, states, cultures, economies, education systems, and to create awareness of the differences that connect and make us close, all in order to create a better and humane world.
In the panel on the importance of local and state authorities and raising awareness of the service in the function of citizens, mayor Jokic emphasized in his presentation the need to add Empathy to the 6 E (Economy, Education, Environment, Ethics, Engineering, Enjoyment) because, if you do not listen to the needs of the citizens, no power can govern well.
President Jokic had numerous bilateral meetings during the two-day Forum. With Fatma Sahin - the mayor of Gaziantep, further plans for cooperation between Kotor and Gaziantep were formulated through an active exchange of experiences in the work of the local government and intensive cooperation in the field of culture and preservation of cultural heritage.
During the conversation with Mendes Turel, Mayor of the Antalya, many areas where two cities could realize cooperation were discussed. With other participants, Jokić discussed experiences in the field of management, heritage conservation and sustainable development.
With Director WCO Dr. Young Hoon Jokic talked about the possibilities of organizing a smaller-scale Forum, where the emphasis would be placed on the greater involvement of Balkan countries, the Adriatic Basin and the European part of the Mediterranean in general.
This year's Forum was attended by over 70 mayors and city representatives from 40 countries, as well as WCO members, unanimously adopting the Antalian Action Plan.
The next - 14th "Silk Roads Mayors’ Forum" will be held next year in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad," said a statement from the Cabinet of the President of the Municipality of Kotor.
