İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer participated in the inaugural of Italy's İzmir Consulate Building. He stated, “The potential of İzmir and Turkey is always talked about. However, potential energy is useless. It needs to be converted into kinetic energy. I think, this new building is a significant step to convert potential energy into kinetic energy.”
Italy's İzmir Consulate Building was inaugurated with a ceremony. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Mayor Tunç Soyer ; the Governor of İzmir, Yavuz Selim Köşger ; İzmir Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Board, Mahmut Özgener ; the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, Chairman of the Board, Ender Yorgancılar ; the Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator, President Jak Eskinazi ; İzmir Provincial Security Director, Mehmet Şahne ; Italian Ambassador to Turkey, Giorgio Marrapodi ; the Consul of Italy in İzmir,Valerio Giorgio; Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Italian Citizens in Abroad, the General Director of Migration Policy, Luigi Maria Vignali ; the governors, the consuls, the heads of non - governmental organizations attended the inauguration ceremony.
Soyer: “It is very important for peace”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer started his speech by thanking the Italian Consul of İzmir,  Valerio Giorgio for the relations between Italy and İzmir. He said “While the world is globalizing on the one hand, it is actually localizing on the other. There is even a nice word for it; glocalization. For instance, the global climate crisis, the global warming; the resolution of all global crises is on the localization. As well as the health of interstate relations, local relations between people are also so crucial for peace. We attach great importance and value to the work of the Italian consulate. I would like to emphasize that one of the 4 consulates in İzmir, where professional officials work, belongs to Italy. This is an indication of the importance Italy attaches to İzmir. The opening of the new building indicates that this importance is increasing. The potential of İzmir and Turkey is always talked about. However, potential energy is useless. It needs to be converted into kinetic energy. I think, this new building is a significant step to convert potential energy into kinetic energy.”
Köşger: “Hurray, the Italy-Turkey friendship”
The Governor of İzmir, Yavuz Selim Köşger,said “Thank you to all our Italian friends for working together to create better friendships and a more prosperous region in the Mediterranean basin. Italians are one of our closest friends. I believe that the efforts made for the development of brotherhood between the two countries will bring about positive results. Hurray,the Italy-Turkey friendship”.
Marrapodi: “Izmir-Italian consulate has a political duty”
Giorgio Marrapodi, the Italian Ambassador to Ankara who emphasized that the consulate is not just an administrative state office and institution, said “Some consulates, such as the Izmir-Italian Consulate, also have a political entity. If the Izmir-Italy Consulate develops commercial, economic ties, cultural and scientific exchanges and all other bilateral relations between Turkey and Italy under the coordination of the Ankara Embassy ; We can say that the Izmir-Italian consulate has political duties.”
Vignali: “It is our new service concept”
The General Director of Italian Citizens Abroad, and Migration Policies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,International Relations ; Luigi Maria Vignali said “This is not just a new building, it is the inaugural of all the services to be provided with the new concept within the building. This new approach is the value we place not only on our Italian citizens, but also on our Turkish friends and our new service approach to fortify the relations between the two countries.
The Consul of Italy in İzmir,Valerio Giorgio emphasized that the Italian Consulate in İzmir, which celebrated its 160th anniversary last March, is one of the oldest foundations in the city. He also said, “We have targeted to create a more modern institutional structure and thus to work more efficiently. Our mission to enhance the consular services have commenced.”