Have been following closely the unmatching efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organizations for the nomination of Istanbul as a European Capital of Culture (ECOC) for 2010. The present and upcoming challenges which Europe is facing and the role of Europe in the world can best be articulated and translated in an artistic and cultural, intellectual and popular event such as the ECOC by Istanbul. The city has been the capital of consecutive multinational empires at the crossroads of three continents, nurtured by a variety of lands and peoples, for more than millennia. It has served as a living example of the concurrence of civilizations throughout the ages, molding different cultures, religions and languages into an enduring synthesis. It has always been a part of the European tradition, while exerting a spiritual and worldly influence on Europe. Given that Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the European Union, Istanbul's designation as a European Capital of Culture will further the European political project, the European values, and the sense of European belonging. Contributions Turkey can make to this project will thus be more visible and better appreciated. The designation will serve the interests of our citizens, the European visitors, the city development and the ECOC scheme. Istanbul will develop a more visible European dimension and project European culture not only in Turkey, but in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia as well, with European civil society at the center. I should like to emphasize that we succeeded in Turkey to combine the ·efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations for nominating Istanbul as a candidate for a European Capital of Culture.

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