COPPEM Presidency Council and General Assembly was held. Presidency Council gathered before General Assembly, reviewed the preparations and evaluated the next term activities and projects of COPPEM. After that, at the General Assembly, ideas on cultural activities and equal opportunities were mentioned, previous-term activity reports were evaluated.

At the COPPEM – European Mediterranean Local and Regional Authorities Partnership Committee – Presidents Council and General Assembly Meeting held on 27 June 2023, the projects and suggested activities brought to the agenda by Istanbul Aydın University President and COPPEM Board Member Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın, were evaluated. The following articles were all unanimously resolved by all COPPEM members.

1. The member countries of COPPEM should host at least one event each year that takes the pulse of current and world problems,

2. Organizing a special conference on illegal immigration and the problems of immigrants,

3. Organizing training programs in different, up-to-date fields that produce solutions to the world’s problems in each COPPEM country; launching the first program in Türkiye,

4. To implement intercity diplomacy much more effectively,

5. Contributing to the organized crime and terrorism conference to be held in October, with the academic dimension of the subject, with 2 law academicians from Istanbul Aydin University,

6. The results of the democratic elections last month in Türkiye and in Greece yesterday will contribute to the establishment of more productive and close relations between both countries and COPPEM members,

7. COPPEM, which has always embraced the work of the local governments of our region and their social, cultural and economic development by producing projects and useful models together, with an understanding about all politics; Evaluating the membership requests from Libya positively, regardless of region and city,

8. Hosting all the European-Mediterranean Region Local Authorities, Mayors and Governors in Istanbul with the COPPEM General Assembly to be hosted by Istanbul Aydın University in December with an international COPPEM Conference.

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The conference with the theme of “Local and regional authorities: strategies to strengthen Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the context of the current epochal changes” of Standing Committee Euro Mediterranean Partnership of the Local and Regional Authorities (COPPEM) was held in Italy. The fruitful presentations contained many political and social issues such as cultural changes, refugee and migration problems in the world, racism problems, Ukraine and Syria crisis, climate change, gender equality, human and woman rights, peace processes in the world at the conference which held in Palermo, Regional Assembly of Sicily.

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Many participants such as IAU President and COPPEM Board Member Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın, President of Antimafia Commission, President of the Regional Assembly of Sicily, COPPEM President Adly Hussein, COPPEM General Secretary Francesco Sammarito, Regional Affairs of the Region Sicily and Archbishop took part in the conference.

COPPEM Board Member Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın made a speech titled “Mediterranean Region: Issues and Solution Offers through Education Diplomacy”. In his speech, mentioning the purpose of education diplomacy, environmental and social problems in the Mediterranean Region Aydın; uttered the need for economic and political stability in the region in his speech. In addition, Aydın, recording that gender equality, human rights and placing democracy, making an inclusive education and dialog culture is also essential, offered that through a developed “educational diplomacy” to be established in the fields of education and research, about the problems encountered by the Mediterranean region, reliable scientific evidence should be presented to the decision-makers, alternative projects and programs should be designed.

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Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın, at the end of his speech, drew attention “education diplomacy” notion and he said “Education diplomacy is a dynamic and strong tool that will positively impact our world. In this respect, we should stand behind activities that improve education and research territorially and all kinds of initiatives that will invigorate the international dimension of these activities.”

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