Local Diplomacy Analysis of Marmara: Global Connections of Local Governments

Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) conducted the "Marmara Region Local Diplomacy Research" between December 2022 and January 2024. The research aims to understand the efforts of local governments in foreign relations across the Marmara Region in Türkiye, identify differences among municipalities, address institutional, legal and financial capacities, needs and challenges related to foreign relations, and propose action-oriented policies to overcome these issues.

The research included all MMU member municipalities from different scales across 11 provinces in the Marmara Region: Balıkesir, Bilecik, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, Istanbul, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Tekirdağ, and Yalova. Feedback from municipal representatives was collected through a survey consisting of open-ended and multiple-choice questions conducted via face-to-face interviews, over the phone, and via email. The findings were analyzed under eight main titles. In this context, alongside the institutional structures of municipalities regarding foreign relations and opinions of municipal personnel on foreign relations, an exploration has been made on local governments’ memberships in international city networks, sister city relationships, participation in international projects, involvement in international cooperation agreements, participation in international events, and their awareness and activities regarding the global agendas.

The findings and recommendations of this research are summarized in the report titled “Local Diplomacy Analysis of Marmara: Global Connections of Local Governments”. The report has been the most comprehensive research report on different dimensions of local diplomacy in Türkiye. The report is intended to serve as a guide for municipal representatives, researchers, experts, central government officials, and international organization representatives working on or seeking to deepen their understanding of local diplomacy.