06 March 2019 - On March 6, the Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vuković and Acting Mayor of Ankara Ali Gökşin signed a formal twinning oath, based on the long-term trusting relationship between the two signatory towns – the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica and the Capital of Turkey, Ankara.
"A strong foundation of political, economic and cultural cooperation between Montenegro and Turkey, as well as Podgorica and Ankara, was established in the previous period, as evidenced by the presence of a large number of Turkish businessmen in Podgorica, the activities of the Turkish Cultural Centre Yunus Emre and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency - TİKA, and by the increasing number of Turkish tourists in Podgorica. In that sense, today's signing of the Agreement on twinning of the capitals of the two states is the basis for further strengthening of our relations," Mayor Vuković said at the signing of the agreement.
He reminded that Montenegro and Turkey, just like Podgorica and Ankara, have a lot of connections.
"The oldest part of Podgorica - Stara Varoš originated from the Ottoman Empire, and people from the territory of today's Turkey left an intense identity trail in our history. Montenegro and Podgorica represent environments that are highly multiethnic, multinational and multiconfessional, of which we are very proud. We want to recognise this heritage and affirm it further, "Mayor Vuković pointed out.
Noting that history is very important, he assessed that it is even more important that the economic and political relations of the two countries are continually progressing from the moment when Montenegro renewed its independence.
"Today, Montenegro and the Republic of Turkey are allies within the NATO alliance. We do not forget the contribution of the Republic of Turkey when it comes to supporting our country in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration. The relations between the two countries at the political level are remarkable, as are numerous examples of the activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, the TIKA Agency and the Yunus Emre Institute. An exceptional basis exists for further development and improvement of relations, and in this sense, today's signing of the Agreement is seen as a major and important step in that direction. The initiative for a boulevard in Podgorica to carry the name of Turkey's Capital is currently being processed, "Vuković said.
He invited the Mayor of Ankara to visit Podgorica and to open a boulevard together with the name of Turkey’s Capital.
Acting Mayor of Ankara emphasized that the Agreement between Ankara and Podgorica is another confirmation of the friendship of the two countries.
"Both state administrations and the private sector are working to improve the relations of our two countries. Montenegro is one of the countries that mostly attract Turkish investors. I hope that after the signing of the Agreement, we will improve the relationship between the two cities on every level and that through our engagement we will contribute to the harmonic relationship between our citizens, "concluded Gokšin.
In the signed twinning agreement, it is noted that economic, cultural and other contacts that have continuously contributed to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and long-standing friendship have been developed between two cities.
Before the signing of the agreement, the delegation of Mayor Vuković headed by Deputy Mayor Časlav Vešović, Entrepreneur Secretary Kemal Grbović and Director of the Agency for Building and Development of Podgorica Srdjan Raičević, discussed future terms of cooperation with the representatives of Municipality of Ankara. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Montenegro to the Republic of Turkey Branko Milić. After the signing of the Agreement, the delegation visited Podgorica Street, which is located in the elite part of Ankara.
