Brussels, 19/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - Turkey has officially entered Istanbul's application to become European Capital of Culture in 2010, to the Director-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission, Nikolaus van der Pas. In a document entitled "Istanbul, City of the Four Elements", the ECOC (Executive Board of Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture) stresses the historical and cultural links between Istanbul and the rest of Europe. "If Istanbul is selected as the European Capital of Culture, this will be a great opportunity for us to show the world our rich cosmopolitan character. The city is the mere amalgamation of Ottoman Turkish and European elements", underlines Egemen Bagis, adviser to Prime Minister Erdogan. A decision of the Council of 1999 stipulates that, each year, in the period 2005-2019, a European Capital of Culture may be selected from the European State which is not a member of the European Union.