Moscow-Istanbul relations reach new level - Mayor Sobyanin
ISTANBUL. April 17 (Interfax) - The mayors of Moscow and Istanbul, Sergei Sobyanin and Kadir Topbas, have signed a program for cooperation between the two cities' governments for 2015-2017.
Municipal ties between Moscow and Istanbul were established in the 1970s, prior to which these contacts "had been occasional and lacked any solid contractual framework," Sobyanin said.
"And today we are making up for this gap. The signing of the cooperation agreement for 2015-2017 will bring our relations to a qualitative new level," the Moscow mayor said.
The new program will allow Moscow and Istanbul to share experience and implement joint projects in key areas of the urban economy, including transport, urban planning and provision of amenities. The two cities will also cooperate in safeguarding cultural heritage, boosting the quality of tourism and hotel services and promoting contacts between Russian and Turkish athletes.
The Moscow government's delegation led by Mayor Sobyanin arrived in Turkey on April 15. The Moscow officials earlier visited the Turkish capital, where the Commerce and Industry Chambers of Moscow and Ankara signed a cooperation program and Russian retailers and Turkish food suppliers signed a number of memorandums.