Antalya Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal stated that the China-ASEAN Mayors Forum, to which he was invited on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of sister city relations with Gulin Municipality, was very productive and added: ""In addition to our mass tourism, which is rising with the struggles of our tourists, we continue to promote and integrate with the world on every platform so that our Muratpaşa and Antalya city centre can receive tourists."

Mayor Uysal went to China to attend the ASEAN Mayors Forum held in China's popular tourist city Gulin, the sister city of Muratpaşa Municipality. This year's main theme of the forum, organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was determined as "Building our homes together, promoting prosperity together".

Speaking at the opening of the forum, Mayor Uysal said that they have implemented a participatory and contemporary management approach in Muratpaşa. 

"We opened the doors of our municipality to the world," Uysal said:

"We have brought our international relations to the highest point with the Kaleiçi Old Town Festival, which brings together all the ancient cities of the world. Thanks to the festival, we are in constant communication with at least 500 cities. We host many mayors from Indonesia to Ireland, Tunisia to Thailand, Italy to the Netherlands at our festival. Local governments have a great duty for the brotherhood of societies, getting closer to each other and breaking prejudices. Projects implemented by local governments, such events and festivals help international politics and diplomacy."

Uysal underlined that the 21st century is a period in which many innovations in the understanding of local and general administration have been implemented, as well as new developments in technology and new inventions in the information sector. Underlining that the channels of direct democracy have become stronger thanks to technological opportunities, Mayor Uysal said that Abdullah Sevimçok Civil Society Centre, Neighbourhood Assembly, which is Turkey's first digital democracy platform, elderly, foreigners and mukhtars assemblies are Muratpaşa Municipality's activities in this field.  

Stating that the forum, which will end on 21 November, was very productive in terms of establishing new collaborations and exchanging ideas, Mayor Uysal said, "In addition to our mass tourism, which is rising with the struggles of our tourists, we continue to promote and integrate with the world on every platform so that our Muratpaşa and Antalya city centre can receive tourists."