ISTANBUL, Nov 25 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, said, he has been seeking financial resources from abroad, to resume unfinished projects in the biggest city of Turkey.
Speaking at a press conference, Imamoglu spoke of eight metro lines and many investment projects in the city being suspended for two years, over financial difficulties.
He said, he was obliged to seek loans from abroad, as Turkey’s state-owned banks closed their doors to the municipality, in need of over 20 billion Turkish liras, or 3.5 billion U.S. dollars, to finish the uncompleted investment projects.
For that purpose, Imamoglu and his team recently visited five European cities, namely Berlin, Paris, London, Copenhagen and Strasbourg, and the construction of two metro lines in Istanbul was restarted after two loan contracts were signed with institutions in Paris and Berlin.
The mayor said, he has been conducting substantial negotiations with a Chinese bank and several Chinese investment firms, to create more financial resources for new investment projects in Istanbul.
“In the upcoming period, we are planning to visit China, where we will take concrete steps to strengthen our communication even further,” he said.
Noting his city has been trying to woo more Chinese tourists, the mayor said, the municipality will soon take “serious steps” to promote Istanbul in China.
Imamoglu, who is from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, was certified as the mayor of Istanbul in June, ending the ruling party’s 25-year-old hold on the city.– NNN-ANADOLU