Istanbul Metro Company signed a rail transit cooperation agreement with Guangzhou Metro Group

Recently, Metro İstanbul, a subsidiary of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), and Guangzhou Metro Group officially signed a memorandum of cooperation, and the two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in the field of rail transit. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of the Turkish Municipal Union (TBB) and the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem İmamoğlu and the Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, Guo Yonghang.

In his speech, Imamoglu emphasized the importance of this cooperation for the future development of rail transit in the two cities, and said: "The signing of this agreement will have a significant impact on the future development journey of the two cities in the field of rail transit. He spoke highly of Guangzhou's innovation ability in global urban development, and expressed his hope that through this cooperation, Istanbul and Guangzhou will strengthen exchanges in rail transit, urban innovation and international event preparation.

Strengthen international cooperation and share rail transit experience

Imamoglu noted the importance of city-to-city experience sharing, with special mention of the Istanbul Municipality's practice of cooperation in international organizations such as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Metropolis. He mentioned that in 2023, the Istanbul Municipality has participated in the UCLG Urban Innovation Awards with two innovative projects, and will continue to promote more innovative urban projects in the future.

In addition, he said that Istanbul is actively preparing for the bid for the 4th European Games in 2027 and the 2036 Olympic Games, and hopes to learn from Guangzhou's experience in hosting large-scale events such as the National Games to strengthen urban infrastructure construction and rail transit optimization. He also mentioned that the 2026 "Mega Cities Summit" will be held in Guangzhou, and Istanbul will host the first summit in 2023. Imamoglu said that in the future, he will promote the further development of the platform under the capacity of Special Representative of Metropolis Super City and hopes that Istanbul will continue to play a role in the summit in 2026.

Deepen friendship and jointly promote the development of rail transit

In his speech, Guo Yonghang, Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, recalled the long-standing friendly relations between Istanbul and Guangzhou, and said: "Although we are meeting officially for the first time, our friendship has lasted for more than ten years. He pointed out that Guangzhou and Istanbul are both long-established international transportation hubs, and they share similarities in terms of city size, population and economic status, so the two cities have a wide range of opportunities for cooperation in rail transit, urban management and global cooperation.

Guo Yonghang praised Istanbul's urban management model, saying: "After coming to Istanbul, I deeply feel that the city is safe and orderly. He further expressed the hope that through this cooperation, he can learn from Istanbul's management experience and promote the in-depth cooperation between Guangzhou and Istanbul in the field of urban governance and rail transit.

The signing of the memorandum of cooperation opens a new chapter for both parties

In the presence of the two leaders, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Özgür Soy, President of Istanbul Municipality Transportation Group, and Liu Zhicheng, Chairman of Guangzhou Metro Group. The agreement marks an important step in the cooperation between Istanbul and Guangzhou in the development of rail transit, technology exchange, and urban infrastructure construction.

In his concluding remarks, Imamoglu said that he expressed his gratitude to the Guangzhou Metro Group for participating in the cooperation and looked forward to more in-depth cooperation between the two sides in the future.

The signing of the MoU not only marks the official launch of cooperation between Istanbul and Guangzhou in the field of rail transit, but also provides a new model for urban management and infrastructure development cooperation between major cities around the world.

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