Cooperation Project in Disaster Management

Beşiktaş Municipality embarked on an important cooperation project with Erlangen Municipality within the framework of sister city relations. At the end of September, a delegation from Beşiktaş went to Erlangen, Germany, and examined disaster management and civil defence practices on site. This visit is part of a project called “ORTAK” aiming to promote the expert dialogue between sister cities and financed by Stiftung Mercator.

The delegation observed the infrastructure, emergency plans and public information processes on fire and disaster management in and around Erlangen in detail. The main objective of the project is to increase the service capacity in Beşiktaş in case of a disaster and to raise public awareness on civil defence.

The delegation led by Kemalettin Arslan, Director of Civil Defence and Disaster Management, together with a team of search and rescue specialists, dog trainers and international relations experts, held meetings with various local institutions. In this context, cooperation meetings were held with important organisations such as Erlangen Municipality Fire and Disaster Management Directorate, Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), Technical Relief Organisation (THW), ASB and German Sea Rescue Association (DLRG).

During the visit, Dr. Florian Janik, Mayor of Erlangen, Jörg Volleth, Mayor in charge of Disaster Regulation, Amil Sharifov, Chairman of Erlangen-Besiktas Sister City Association (ERBEŞ) and Silvia Klein, Director of International Relations of Erlangen supported the Beşiktaş delegation, while Bülent Bayraktar acted as technical interpreter during the meetings.

With the ORTAK project, Beşiktaş and Erlangen aim to strengthen their cooperation on civil defence and disaster management. This partnership will increase the ability of both municipalities to act quickly and effectively in times of crisis. As part of the project, a high-level delegation from Erlangen is scheduled to visit Beşiktaş in February 2025.