Ambassador Maria Elena P. Algabre with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Istanbul PCG Consul General Arvin R. de Leon (Photo Courtesy of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality) 

ISTANBUL 08 October 2021 – Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Elena P. Algabre met the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu on 07 October 2021 at the Beyaz Köşk (White Palace) in Sarıyer, Istanbul, with Consul General Arvin R. de Leon of the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul.

"To deepen the relations of the Philippines with Turkey, we opened last year a Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul headed by a career official," said Ambassador Algabre. "With its large population and as a preeminent center of history, culture and commerce,  Istanbul  is one of Turkey’s most important cities.”   She added that the Philippine Embassy in Ankara and the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul had been working together  to network with the city’s government, business, academe and civil society sectors  with a view to exploring further areas for cooperation.   She also thanked Istanbul for hosting over 2,000 Filpinos, comprising majority of the Philippine population in Turkey.

Mayor İmamoğlu expressed Istanbul's interest in enhancing relations with the Philippines and also shared best practices that his city was adopting in order to address road congestion and vehicular traffic.   Ambassador Algabre congratulated the Mayor for overseeing initiatives for a green and environmentally-friendly Istanbul, which has recently been recognized as one of the best cities in the world by the international Travel and Leisure Magazine. ##