Istanbul 2010 Capital of Culture prepares to sign off

Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency held a closing ceremony at Istanbul’s Congress Center on Sunday night, just days before handing over the title.

“Istanbul will be one of the cultural capitals of the world with its assets, historical heritage and spirituality, which inspired our civilization based on tolerance and affection,” Turkish State Minister and Chief European Union Negotiator Egemen Bağış said.

He said the world had rediscovered Istanbul with the project, which began Jan. 16.

“It is unfair to define Istanbul as only the cultural capital of 2010,” Bağış said, noting the city’s other wealth of cultural assets. “This is not just a city. It is the identity of Turkey and a unique source of inspiration for peace, brotherhood, tranquility and tolerance.”

Bağış also noted that the U2 concert, which was organized as part of the Istanbul 2010 events in September, was a great opportunity to show Turkey’s new face and modern vision to the whole world.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Turkish State Minister Hayati Yazıcı said the main target of the events was to leave a mark on Istanbul’s culture and art life and make the projects sustainable in this aspect.

“The projects contributed to the international dignity of Istanbul and Turkey and provided opportunity for interaction among cultures,” the minister said.

He said the events were important for cultural economy and the promotion of Istanbul and Turkey and added that more than 600 projects had been undertaken as part of the events.

The Istanbul 2010 project was led by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Governor’s Office and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and coordinated by the Istanbul 2010 Agency. Throughout 2010, many local and international artists and cultural groups have been guests of Istanbul for cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, visual arts, and etc.

Tallinn (Estonia) and Turku (Finland) will be the capitals of culture in 2011.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com