A significant meeting was held at Dramalılar Mansion to strengthen and expand the collaboration between Bornova Municipality and the Goethe-Institut İzmir. The meeting was attended by Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki, Director of the Goethe-Institut İzmir Dr. Anne Schönhagen, along with municipal officials and representatives from the Goethe-Institut.

At the opening of the meeting, Dr. Anne Schönhagen shared the Goethe-Institut’s cultural, artistic, and language-related activities in İzmir. She expressed her satisfaction with Bornova Municipality’s open and creative approach to international partnerships.

Mayor Eşki: “We all have a relative in Germany”

In his speech, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki emphasized the historical and strong cultural ties between Turks and Germans:

“Our generation knows it well—almost everyone has a relative who went to Germany to work or who was born there. This is not just a story of economic migration; it represents a deep human connection between the two peoples. As Bornova Municipality, we aim to strengthen this bond further through culture, arts, and education.”

“We are ready for all kinds of cooperation”

Mayor Eşki continued:

“From our Directorate of Foreign Relations to our R&D Department, from Social Assistance to Women and Family Services, from our Museum to our Theater Directorate—every unit of our municipality is prepared for international cooperation with their innovative approaches, strong institutional structures, and westward-facing vision. Together with the Goethe-Institut, we want to implement projects that touch the lives of youth, women, and the arts.”

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Ömer Eşki presented a bust of Homer to Goethe-Institut İzmir Director Dr. Anne Schönhagen and her delegation as a token of appreciation.