Brussels, 23/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - Turkey is sparing no efforts in promoting Istanbul as European Capital of Culture in 2010. After officially submitting the application package to the European Commission on 13 December 2005, the Executive Board of Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture (ECOC) held a press conference at the European Parliament on 22 February, with Dutch Green MEP Joost Lagendijk, Chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, to present the case for Istanbul, site of world cultural and historic significance at the crossroads between East and West. With its universally acclaimed artistic and cultural heritage, Istanbul is one of the best examples of a multi-cultural, multi-religious society, stressed Egemen Bagis, ECOC President. He said that choosing Istanbul as the European Capital of Culture would offer a wonderful opportunity to improve communication and cultural dialogue between the states of the European Union and the neighbouring countries. Recalling the European Union's promise on developing the dialogue between Turkey and the EU given at the opening of accession negotiations, Mr Bagis stressed, “The candidacy of Istanbul … should be regarded as a sign of our commitment to the cultural convergence of the Turkish civil society to the European Union”. Mr Nuri M. Colakoglu, general coordinator of the project, said that choosing Istanbul would be an excellent way of showing that culture can be used as an instrument of dialogue between the West and the East. In the present tense climate, Istanbul has hosted several European events, a demonstration of multiculturalism all the more important at this time, pointed out Mr Lagendijk. (For further information: http: //http://www.istanbul2010.org )
A Council decision of 1999 allows a European state which is not a member of the European Union to put forward one of its towns to be European Capital of Culture each year for the period 2005-2019. Apart from Istanbul, three other countries have submitted candidacies for 2010: Ukraine (Kiev), Hungary (Pecs) and Germany (no town as yet selected).