The Kent&Başkan 2025 Awards have found their recipients.

14.04.2025 20:00

According to the results of the online survey conducted by Kent&Başkan Magazine, the mayors of metropolitan municipalities, provinces, metropolitan districts, districts, and towns who are entitled to receive awards gathered at the award ceremony held in Kayseri on April 12.

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According to the results of the online survey conducted by Kent&Başkan Magazine, the mayors of metropolitan municipalities, provinces, metropolitan districts, districts, and towns who are entitled to receive awards gathered at the award ceremony held in Kayseri on April 12.

KENT&BAŞKAN AWARDS PRESENTED

Kayseri Deputy and General President of the Felicity Party Mahmut Arıkan, Kayseri Deputy Şaban Çopuroğlu, Kayseri Governor Gökmen Çiçek, Kayseri Metropolitan Mayor Dr. Memduh Büyükkılıç, members of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Internet Journalists Association (TİGAD), and mayors from all over Turkey, along with protocol, press members, and many guests attended the Kent & Başkan 2025 Award Ceremony, which created a significant impact with its full program.

SELECT NAMES GATHERED IN KAYSERİ

Worldturk TV, Kent&Başkan Magazine YouTube Channel, Medya Ankara, haberler.com, and sondakika.com broadcasted the Kent&Başkan 2025 Award Ceremony live, bringing together many names from different political views from all over Turkey, overcoming all distances. Kent&Başkan Magazine brought together mayors entitled to receive awards within the scope of the online survey covering all of Turkey with important and distinguished names working for the development and strengthening of Turkish Municipalism and local governments in Kayseri.

OKAN GEÇGEL: OUR JURY IS THE PUBLIC

In his opening speech at the Kent&Başkan 2025 Award Ceremony held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Kent&Başkan Magazine Editor-in-Chief Okan Geçgel stated, "Today, here, our mayors, who work selflessly for our cities and face all kinds of difficulties, are receiving the rewards of their efforts. The awards given have been determined entirely by the votes of our citizens. In other words, these awards are a reflection of hard work, sacrifice, and sincere service." He expressed his excitement and enthusiasm for adding another ceremony to the traditional Kent&Başkan Awards held every year. Geçgel emphasized, "These awards are not given by a selection committee or a journalist: They are given by the people of our country, our public. That is why this award, this unity is very valuable."

The main sponsor of the Kent&Başkan 2025 Award Ceremony, Artaş Holding Vice Chairman Serhan Çetinsaya, expressed his gratitude for being part of such an important organization through Kayseri Park AVM General Manager Adnan Arıkan.

MEMDUH BÜYÜKKILIÇ: CITIES ARE COMPETING, MAYORS ARE COMPETING

The natural host of this great gathering held in Kayseri, Kayseri Metropolitan Mayor Memduh Büyükkılıç, greeted the guests and thanked everyone, especially local administrators, who have served Kayseri in the past and present. He emphasized the importance of the culture of "we" rather than "I," stating that a city like Kayseri, which is rooted, developed, and ancient, deserves to be recognized, understood, and its works to be taken as examples. He congratulated the valuable team of Kent&Başkan Magazine for carrying out such a meaningful and important work in Kayseri, which has pleased and satisfied us. He congratulated the mayors who received awards in such a meaningful work. Cities are competing, mayors are competing. In this regard, I find these efforts meaningful. As our valuable brother Okan said, having the jury be the public is also important and meaningful for us."

ŞABAN ÇOPUROĞLU: THE FUTURE OF CITIES IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE VISION OF MAYORS

Kayseri Deputy Şaban Çopuroğlu stated, "I know you are doing beautiful things in your cities, you are involved in beautiful organizations. I think we wouldn't be here together today if it weren't for that. May God grant you ease. I believe that the future of a city is related to the vision of its mayor."

MAHMUT ARIKAN: A MEETING WHERE BEAUTIFUL WORKS ARE RECOGNIZED

Kayseri Deputy and General President of the Felicity Party Mahmut Arıkan said: "A city means civilization, it means virtue; it means a culture of living together and tolerance. In the past, cities were likened to the human body, and indeed this analogy is a very important definition before us today. We are in Kayseri, one of the symbolic cities of trade, tolerance, and civilization for thousands of years. Today, our cities must be in a structure that constantly updates and renews itself. Today, our cities are the shining stars of Anatolia with their agriculture, economy, industry, and tourism, and I thank each of our mayors, especially you, who have made great efforts in this realization. I want to open a very important parenthesis:

I know that the potential of our cities and districts is much greater than this. It is possible to make our municipalities talked about not only in Turkey but also in Europe. Municipalism is not a political issue; it is a matter of civilization. In the management of a city, the following principles are indispensable: Humble management, management at the peak of competence, accountable management, open-door management to the public, protecting cultural heritage, and a management that is perfectionist, compassionate, and just.

When these principles are in place, we can build cities with low crime rates, greener, more comfortable, more developed, and where peace prevails, as well as effective municipal governance. On this occasion, I would like to especially emphasize that we find the City & Mayor Award Ceremonies extremely valuable. Because this program has been a meeting where good works are recognized, successful examples inspire, and the sharing of experiences is facilitated.

GÖKMEN ÇİÇEK: A PICTURE OF UNITY AND TOGETHERNESS WORTHY OF TURKEY

Kayseri Governor Gökmen Çiçek greeted all the guests and expressed his great happiness and gratitude to everyone who participated in the program, both party representatives from every political party and mayors, for creating this picture of unity and togetherness. He stated that together with all the mayors in Kayseri, they strive to serve Kayseri hand in hand and emphasized how pioneering and important municipalities are in the development of cities; he noted that the governorship supports these efforts of the municipalities. He thanked the City & Mayor Magazine, Okan Geçgel, and İdris İnandı for bringing you, our esteemed mayors, together in Kayseri with such important programs.

After the speeches, the awards were presented to the mayors who were entitled to receive awards at the City & Mayor 2025 Award Ceremony, hosted by Kanal 7 News Anchor Meryem Nas Mercan, which was broadcast live on both TV screens and social media.