Antalya Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal, in the forum titled ‘migration and intercultural harmony’ held at the 9th Kaleiçi Old Town Festival, stated that there is a very large-scale migration movement in the world and said, “This is producing a world where tolerance and integration have become very, very important.”

Muratpaşa Municipality organized a forum titled “Migration and Intercultural Harmony” with guest municipal delegations as part of the Kaleiçi Old Town Festival. Delegations from 23 cities from 18 countries participating in the festival made presentations on their own countries’ migration policies at the forum held at Türkan Şoray Cultural Center.

Mayor Uysal stated in his speech that there is a very large-scale migration movement in the world. Uysal said, “This cultural harmony is now producing a world where tolerance and integration have become very important for cities to maintain their social fabric and daily life.” Stating that people have to live in an integrated manner with different cultures in today’s world, Mayor Uysal emphasized that this should happen in an environment of culture, art and peace and with positive emotions. Mayor Uysal made the following comments about the problems that cities that cannot integrate with different cultures will experience:

“Cities full of conflicts where different cultures cannot live together with tolerance cannot protect their cultural assets with sufficient care and attention. The quality, peace and quality of daily life, whether or not different cultures can be integrated with each other, directly affects the cultural life of cities and countries. In a world where conflicts can be overcome, where people smile at each other and where all cultures can express themselves and merge side by side, it is very valuable to live in a city.”

At the end of the forum, the delegations that attended the festival signed a declaration committing to work with cities, institutions and international organizations to develop sustainable strategies for migration management and the protection of cultural heritage.

In addition, a sister city agreement was signed with the Muratpaşa Municipality and the Romanian Sibiu Municipality at the forum.