A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, led by Congress President Marc Cools, will conduct a high-level visit to Türkiye (Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara) from 9 to 11 February 2026.
This visit is a follow-up to the Declaration on dismissals of mayors in Türkiye, adopted by the Congress on 27 March 2025 and urging the Turkish authorities to release detained mayors - including Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu - and stop their dismissals and detention. It follows previous visits in May, June and September 2025.
The delegation will also include Congress Rapporteur on the situation of local democracy in Türkiye Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC/G/PD) and President of the Group of Independent Experts (GIE) Prof. Angel Moreno.
The delegation will meet the national delegation of Türkiye to the Congress, representatives of the Union of Turkish Municipalities (TBB) and Deputy Minister of Interior Münir Karaloğlu. It will also visit Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Büyükçekmece and a Congress member Hasan Akgün, as well as former Mayor of Izmir and former Congress Vice-President Tunc Soyer, all three of whom have been arrested and held in detention since 2025.
