The Turkish World Municipalities Union (TDBB) April Board Of Directors Meeting was held in Istanbul on April 29, 2026, hosted by Bahçelievler Municipality, with the participation of local administrators from 9 different countries (Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Cyprus, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Lebanon, and Turkey).
The meeting, chaired by TDBB and Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay, was attended by the host, Bahçelievler Municipality Mayor Dr. Hakan Bahadır, TDBB Secretary General Taha Zahid Özdemir, TDBB Board members, Karaman Mayor Savaş Kalaycı, Rize Mayor Rahmi Metin, Albanian Municipalities Union General Manager Agron Haxhımalı, Azerbaijan City Municipalities Union President Temraz Tagıyev, Bosnia and Herzegovina Novi Grad Mayor Semir Efendiç, Turkish Cypriot Municipalities Union (KTBB) President Mahmut Özçınar, Kosovo Mamuşa Mayor Abdülhadi Krasniç, North Macedonia Kalkandelen Mayor Bilal Kasami, Lebanon Dannieh Municipalities Union President Muhammed Sadieh, Kyrgyzstan Local Governments Union Deputy General Manager Bakıt Rısbaev, Bağcılar (Istanbul) Mayor Yasin Yıldız, Başiskele Mayor Mehmet Yasin Özlü, Gebze (Kocaeli) Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz, Karatay (Konya) Mayor Hasan Kılca, Pendik Mayor Ahmet Cin, Selçuklu Mayor Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, Şahinbey (Gaziantep) Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu, Ümraniye (Istanbul) Mayor İsmet Yıldırım, Talas (Kayseri) Mayor Mustafa Yalçın, Taşköprü Mayor Hüseyin Arslan, Yıldırım Mayor Oktay Yılmaz and Zeytinburnu Mayor Ömer Arısoy attended.
Within this framework, the projects planned by the Deniz Feneri Association for the Gaza region include: Within the scope of the “Aid to Palestine Project” carried out in cooperation with TDBB and member municipalities, support will be provided for the “Salary Support Project for Municipal Personnel” requested by the Municipality of Beit Hanoun (Palestine), under the coordination of TDBB and in cooperation with Selçuklu Municipality (Konya), the sister city of Beit Hanoun Municipality; support will be provided for the “Financial Support Project for Use in Municipal Services” requested by the Municipality of Beit Hanoun (Palestine), under the coordination of TDBB and in cooperation with Zeytinburnu Municipality (Istanbul), the sister city of Beit Hanoun Municipality; the “Restoration Project of the Plovdiv Mevlevi Lodge” will be carried out in cooperation with TDBB, TIKA, and Konya Metropolitan Municipality; the General Secretary Taha Zahid Özdemir will be authorized to sign on this matter; support will be provided for municipal activities in Syria in cooperation with TDBB and member municipalities, and in this context, work will be carried out regarding the sending of surplus garbage and cleaning vehicles from TDBB members to Syria. The implementation of the “Project for the Purchase of 1 Road Washing Vehicle and 1 Sweeping Vehicle” requested by the Mamusha (Kosovo) Municipality, a member of the TDBB Board of Directors, in cooperation with the TDBB, Bağcılar (Istanbul), Ümraniye (Istanbul), Başiskele (Kocaeli) and Karatay (Konya) Municipalities; the support of TDBB for the “516th Ayvaz Dede Festivals” to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2026 and participation on behalf of TDBB; the support of TDBB for the accommodation and catering expenses of the “18th East Turkestan Brotherhood Meeting” to be organized by the East Turkestan Education and Solidarity Association in Sakarya between July 7-20, 2026; and the support of TDBB for the “3rd International Turkic World Strategic Studies” to be organized by the Turkic World Yörük Turkmen Union in Istanbul between May 15-17, 2026. It was decided that the following projects be supported in cooperation with TDBB and Ümraniye (Istanbul) Municipality: Gala Dinner for 150 people to be held on Friday, May 15, 2026, as part of the “Congress”; the “Turkic World Cooperation Council” event to be organized by Zeytinburnu District Governorship Samiha Ayverdi Anatolian High School in Istanbul on May 16-17, 2026; an internship program for Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University students to be organized in Turkey during the summer of 2026, with support from TDBB and member municipalities, and the expenses that may arise within this scope to be covered from the Union’s budget; and the “Project to Contribute to the Annual Expenses (2026) of 2 (Two) Guests Residing at the Srebrenica Hatidza Mehmedoviç Nursing Home” requested by EMMAUS, to be implemented in cooperation with TDBB and Karatay (Konya) Municipality. The project to contribute to the annual expenses (2026) of 4 (four) residents of the Srebrenica Hatidza Mehmedović Nursing Home will be implemented in cooperation with TDBB and Selçuklu (Konya) Municipality; the project to contribute to the annual expenses (2026) of the Srebrenica Children’s Home, requested by EMMAUS, will be implemented in cooperation with TDBB and Selçuklu (Konya) Municipality; the project to support the activities to be carried out by the Ljiljani Novi Travnik Culture and Art Community, requested by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey, will be supported under the coordination of TDBB and in cooperation with Selçuklu Municipality; and, upon the request of the Lale K Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, support will be provided for the trainings to be held in 2026 and the procurement of materials needed for these trainings. Financial support will be provided, under the coordination of TDBB and in cooperation with Selçuklu (Konya) Municipality, for the maintenance and repair of the Sarajevo Mevlevi Lodge and for the events planned to be held at the Mevlevi Lodge in 2026, upon the request of the Hadzi Mujaga Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina; It was decided to provide financial support under the coordination of TDBB and in cooperation with Selçuklu (Konya) Municipality; to establish a sister city relationship between Zavidovici (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Municipality and Bağcılar (Istanbul) Municipality under the coordination of TDBB; to establish a sister city relationship between Rabiea (Bayırbucak-Syria) Municipality and Karatay (Konya) Municipality under the coordination of TDBB; to establish a sister city relationship between Ulgii (Mongolia) Municipality and Yıldırım (Bursa) Municipality under the coordination of TDBB; to conduct studies on establishing a sister city relationship between Bugojno (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Municipality and a suitable municipality from Turkey under the coordination of TDBB; to conduct studies on renewing the content and visuals of the TDBB websites (www.tdbb.org.tr – www.kardessehirler.org.tr), with the expenses that may arise within this scope being covered from the Union budget; and to conduct studies on the publication of a magazine to be published periodically by TDBB.
New Membership Applications:
The membership applications of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, Çorum, Seydişehir (Konya), Serai Naurang Tehsil (Pakistan), Rabiea (Bayırbucak-Syria), and Bugojno (Bosnia and Herzegovina) to the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) were accepted in accordance with Article 5, paragraph c of the bylaws.
