The January Board of Directors Meeting of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) was held on 28 January 2026 in Gaziantep, hosted by Şahinbey Municipality, with the participation of local administrators from 9 different countries (Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, TRNC, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Lebanon, Syria, and Türkiye).
The meeting, chaired by TDBB President and Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay, was attended by AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Relations with Turkic States Prof. Dr. Kürşad Zorlu, Former Minister of Justice and AK Party Gaziantep MP Abdülhamit Gül, AK Party Gaziantep MP Bünyamin Bozgeyik, AK Party Elazığ MP Mahmut Rıdvan Nazırlı, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, host Şahinbey Municipality Mayor Mehmet İhsan Tahmazoğlu, TDBB Secretary General Fahri Solak, members of the TDBB Board of Directors, Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Sami Er, General Director of the Union of Albanian Municipalities Agran Haxhımalı, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of City Municipalities Temraz Tagıyev, Novi Grad Municipality Mayor of Bosnia and Herzegovina Semir Efendić, Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Union of Municipalities (KTBB) Mahmut Özçınar, Mamuşa Municipality Mayor of Kosovo Abdülhadi Krasniç, Chairman of the Dannieh Union of Municipalities of Lebanon Muhammed Sadieh, Karaman Municipality Mayor Savaş Kalaycı, Akdağmadeni (Yozgat) Municipality Mayor Nezih Yalçın, Altınova (Yalova) Municipality Mayor Yasemin Fazlaca, Bahçelievler Municipality Mayor Hakan Bahadır, Gebze (Kocaeli) Municipality Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz, Karatay (Konya) Municipality Mayor Hasan Kılca, Kozan (Adana) Municipality Mayor Mustafa Atlı, Pendik Municipality Mayor Ahmet Cin, Selçuklu Municipality Mayor Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, Sürmene (Trabzon) Municipality Mayor Hüseyin Azizoğlu, Talas (Kayseri) Municipality Mayor Mustafa Yalçın, Tavşanlı (Kütahya) Municipality Mayor Ali Kemal Derin, Zeytinburnu Municipality Mayor Ömer Arısoy, as well as Aleppo Municipality Mayor Mohammed Ali al-Aziz and Deputy Mayor of Tetovo (Kalkandelen), North Macedonia, Albi Qamili.
The meeting continued with TDBB Secretary General Fahri Solak providing information on the activities carried out and the agenda since the Board of Directors meeting dated 02 October 2025, followed by discussions on the agenda items.
Within this framework, it was decided to carry out work on the implementation of the “Procurement of a Garbage Truck for the City of Skopje (North Macedonia) Metropolitan Municipality Project,” requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, through cooperation between TDBB and its sister cities in Türkiye; to conduct work on organizing expert training programs in 2026 for expert delegations coming from Uzbekistan in cooperation with TDBB, the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan, and member municipalities; to organize an expert training program on “Food Banking and Reducing Poverty in Municipalities” for an expert delegation from Uzbekistan in cooperation with TDBB, the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan, and member municipalities, and to cover the possible expenses arising within this scope from the Union’s budget; to use the TDBB logo in the written and visual materials of “CITYTECH 2026 – International Urbanism and Environment Fair,” to be held in Ankara on 23–26 September 2026, and to participate representing TDBB; to carry out work on organizing a visit program to North Macedonia by TDBB upon the invitation of Tearce Municipality (North Macedonia), and to cover the possible expenses arising within this scope from the Union’s budget; to carry out work on providing transportation support in cooperation between TDBB and member municipalities regarding the shipment of park equipment located in Türkiye to the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia in Moldova; to provide support by TDBB for the 8 (eight) months’ expenses in 2026 of the dormitory located in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, operated by EMMAUS, and within this framework to transfer a monthly amount of EUR 4,000 (for 8 months) to the Emmaus Association; to carry out work on establishing a sister city relationship between Banovići (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Municipality and Pendik (Istanbul) Municipality; to carry out work on establishing a sister city relationship between Studeničani (North Macedonia) Municipality and Karatay (Konya) Municipality; to carry out work on establishing a sister city relationship between Has (Albania) Municipality and a municipality deemed appropriate from Türkiye; to carry out work on strengthening the relations of Bayan-Ulgii (Mongolia) Municipality with its sister cities in Türkiye; to carry out work on organizing a “Sister City Iftar Program in Kyrgyzstan,” requested by Jeti-Ögüz (Kyrgyzstan) Municipality, in cooperation between TDBB and Bağcılar Municipality, the sister city of Jeti-Ögüz Municipality; to carry out work on the implementation of the “Turkic World Ethics and Sustainable Governance Project,” requested by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Public Officials Ethics Board (KGEK), in cooperation between TDBB and member municipalities, and to cover the possible expenses arising within this scope from the Union’s budget; to authorize Deputy Chairman responsible for Administrative and Financial Affairs Yasin Yıldız on determining and regulating the salaries of personnel working within the Union for 2026; and to provide support by the Union to the thesis studies of Istanbul University master’s students Rukiye Koç and Serhat Çetin within the scope of the 2026 TDBB Graduate Students Support Program.
New Membership Applications:
It was decided to accept the membership applications of Beykoz (Istanbul) and Abana (Kastamonu) municipalities to TDBB in accordance with Article 5, paragraph (c) of the Union’s statute.
Union Secretariat:
During the meeting, a change of office took place in the position of Secretary General of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB). Upon the proposal of the Union President within the scope of Article 19 of the Union’s Statute, Taha Zahid Özdemir was appointed as TDBB Secretary General, replacing Fahri Solak.
Following the meeting, a sister city protocol was signed between Şahinbey Municipality and Güzelyurt Municipality.
