Working Visit Mayors and Missions

To mark 400 years of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey the mayors of the three major cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are making a working visit to Turkey mid October. The aldermen for economic affairs for Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer are also travelling with the delegation. The mission kicked off on 3 September aboard the Clipper Stad Amsterdam, which is now on its way to Istanbul.

The main aim of the visit is to perpetuate and extend existing relations between the Dutch cities and Turkey in the areas of trade, culture and international collaboration.

Creative Industry 
The Istanbul Design Biennale 2012 will open in the same period in Istanbul. During the mission by the three cities various activities will be organised that are linked to the creative sector, including workshops, a denim seminar provided by the House of Denim and a fashion logistics seminar. The fashion seminars are an initiative by the AAA Fashion Cluster. Various Dutch denim companies have a good relationship with Turkish fashion producers. During the denim seminar Dutch and Turkish fashion parties will closely examine this collaboration and consider how it could be strengthened. At the logistics seminar, the opportunities to optimalise and preserve the chain will be the chief focus.

In addition to various economic activities an important part of the programme will be a visit to the exhibition ‘Making City Istanbul‘ from the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR). There has been close collaboration with a number of cities for the 5th IABR, including Istanbul. The results of this collaboration can be seen in ‘Making City Istanbul’, which forms part of the Istanbul Design Biennale. The IABR offers an ideal platform to exchange knowledge and experiences with stakeholders from the Netherlands and Turkey in regards to our joint future and how we, as major cities, can continue to be the motor of the world economy, in an ecologically responsible manner.

From 10 October to 12 December SALON/ from Amsterdam will be organising a creative route through Istanbul at 20 locations in Beyoglu, between Pera and Karakoy. In the week of 13 - 21 October the Clipper Stad Amsterdam will be one of these locations. SALON/ has asked 15 designers to collaborate with Turkish craftspeople and the creative industry to develop a new product. Also, the work of 30 Dutch and 30 Turkish designers, fashion designers and artists will be exhibited.

On Monday evening, 15 October, the Amsterdam Municipal Council, in collaboration with SALON/, the IKSV Istanbul Design Biennale and the Dutch Consulate, will receive guests from the creative sector in Istanbul. During this evening, SALON/ will present fashion talents from Amsterdam, including Mattijs van Bergen and Hyun Yeu.

The Netherlands as a place of business for Turkish companies
By now, more than a hundred Turkish companies are based in the Netherlands. This number is growing by some 10 per cent annually because of such factors as the strong growth of the Turkish economy and good relations between Turkey and our country.

The three cities are jointly organising an investment seminar during the mission, in collaboration with the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency Istanbul, in order to better profile the Netherlands as a place of business for Turkish companies.

The Holland Financial Centre is organising a seminar that focuses more on head offices and the financial sector. Of course the Netherlands will be given special attention as an important distribution country at the round table meetings of the ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Amsterdam Marketing and KLM Istanbul are organising a special reception to which representatives from the world of tourism and the press will be invited in order to draw attention to all of the activities surrounding Amsterdam 2013.

Companies’ Missions
Various companies’ missions will take place at the same time as the working visit by the three mayors. Dutch Design & Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA) is organising a specific mission for the creative industry, within the framework of the multi-sectoral mission by NeTuBa. DutchDFA will present the creative industry and related creative events during the week under the joint theme Urban Transformation. This theme will focus on contemporary municipal and social challenges in the metropolitan area of Istanbul and offer Dutch architects and designers the opportunity to present their unique methods and solutions to relevant parties in Istanbul. The programme and registration form for the DutchDFA mission can be found here.

Besides Istanbul, the delegation of the Netherlands Turkish Business Association (NETUBA) will visit the cities of Adana and Mersin. In Istanbul, a practically-oriented, individually-tailored programme will be provided. There will also be attention devoted to future developments in and around Istanbul by means of collective visits to relevant projects. The NETUBA delegation will also visit Adana and Mersin. These two cities together form one of the most densely populated areas of Turkey. The region, which also includes the largest port in Turkey, fulfils a key role in Turkish ambitions to position itself as an international (energy) hub. The programme for the NETUBA mission can be found here.

Mayors’ Visits

The three Dutch mayors will have a meeting with mayor Topbas of Istanbul. Each of the mayors will also undertake individual visits.

Mayor Van der Laan will visit the Istanbul district of Sisli, with which Amsterdam has a collaborative agreement. Activities here will include a photo exhibition about Amsterdam and the opening of a Cruijf Court.

Alongside the visit to Istanbul, Mayor Aboutaleb will visit Kayseri. This visit falls within the framework of the collaboration between the Police Corps of Rotterdam Rijnmond and Kayseri. Many of the Turks who are resident in the region of Rotterdam originate from Kayseri. And because this city is seen as one of the Anatolian Tigers, there will also be attention devoted to the economic opportunities that business with this region offers.

Mayor Van Aartsen will visit Istanbul from 15 - 17 October. The visit will have an economic character and the aim of promoting international contacts in the areas of security (The Hague Security Delta) and financial services (in collaboration with the Holland Financial Centre).

During the visit, the Clipper will be moored at the Karakoy terminal, near the Galata Bridge, and will be used for various activities.