Bursa-Turkey: Hebron Mayor, Dr. Daoud Zatari, who was accompanied by Dr. Qais Da'na, Municipal Council Member as well Adnan Rajabi, Prsident of Tareq Bin-Ziad Club, and Bursa Mayor, Recep Altepe, signed a Twinning and Joint Cooperation Agreement which was preceded by months of preparation by the two sides.

The agreement was signed to ensure the exchange of experiences in sectors of Economic, Trade, Science and technology, Education, Sports in addition to the cultural exchange which will have a good impact on Hebron projects.

 

The Mayor Altepe welcomed Hebron Municipality's delegation and expressed his happiness for their visit, and said he sympathized with Palestinians and their just cause, promising to provide needed services to promote Palestinians' steadfastness.

 

Dr. Zatari spoke about the close ties between people and leaderships of both Turkey and Palestine. He underlined Turkey’s political support to the Palestinian cause as well as commercial ties between Turkish cities and Hebron, and recalled the positive stance of Turkey's Ministerof Foreign Affairs in supporting President Mahmoud Abbas and in voting for Palestine’s non-member observer State at the UN.

 

He also spoke about political and security conditions in the city, daily Palestinian suffering due to Israeli occupation and settler practices, the division of the city into two parts, settler presence in its heart and around Al Ibrahimi Mosque and settlements which surround the city. “This situation prevents Hebron Municipality from improving its services”, he said

 

Dr. Zatari then described the economic and commercial importance of Hebron as well as its traditional industries and local products including glass, ceramics, grapes and olives. He underlined efforts made by Hebron Municipality to support the local economy and infrastructure.

 

By the end of the meeting, both sides signed the Twinning agreement. Then symbolic gifts were exchanged between the two delegations.

 

It is worth mentioning that Bursa City is considered as Turkey's fourth largest city, which's sited between Istanbul and Ankara. It is also one of Turkey's most industrialized Cities and was considered as a capital of Ottoman Empire.