Turkish town of Sanliurrafa desirous to strengthen ties with Harar

Addis Ababa, December 10(ENA)-- Mayer of the Turkish town of Sanliurrfa said the town's parliament has decided to establish a strong socio-cultural relations with Harar town, one of the ancient cities of Ethiopia.

Ahmed Bahcivan, who arrived in Harar town on Tuesday for a three-day visit, said the purpose of his tour was to discuss with the Harar town municipality and other concerned bodies on ways of implementing the parliament's decision.

Turkish Ambassador to Ethiopia Kenal Tepedelen said on his part that the relation of the two towns would cement the long-standing bilateral relations of the two sisterly countries.

Chief of the Harar Town Municipality, Nebil Mohammed said on his part that the establishment of official ties between the two towns has a paramount importance to forge a closer people-to-people relations.

The population of Sanliurrafa, which is believed to be founded 11,000 years ago, stands at about 1.6 million.

During its three-day stay in Harar, the Turkish delegation led by Bahcivan, would visit the various historical and cultural sites as well as economic establishments of the town.

Members of the delegation are also expected to meet and hold talks with officials of the Harari regional state.

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