Members of Parliament and Assembly from the U.S. State of Ohio carried out a series of visits and inspections in the Develi district.

The visit was organized through the initiatives of Turkish organizations operating in the United States, with the aim of strengthening relations between Turkey and the United States in parliamentary representation and the business community. A 10-member delegation of lawmakers and assembly members from the State of Ohio participated in the program.

The delegation included Serkan Akyan, General Manager of the Niagara Foundation operating in Ohio; Ohio State Representatives Cliff Rosenberg, Bob Peterson, and Peter Beck; State Assembly Members Teremmy Shaffer, Bret Dixon, Janelle Meade, and Tim Sword; as well as İlhami Sezer, owner of Sezer Company, one of the Turkish firms operating in Ohio.

Invited by Nadir Yürüktümen, General Coordinator of Saray Halı, the delegation visited the district to closely observe agricultural and livestock activities in the Develi Plain. During the visit, the guests toured Saray Agricultural Enterprises’ Yeşilhisar agriculture and livestock unit, livestock facilities in Develi, meat and dairy processing plants, a cogeneration unit producing electricity from natural gas, and the Saray Halı Factory.

As part of the program, the delegation also met with Develi District Governor Enver Ünlü, Mayor Recep Özkan, and Chief of Police Ömer Aydın. Governor Ünlü expressed his satisfaction with the visit and stated his hope that such meetings would contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

During the visit, members of the delegation proposed establishing a sister city relationship between the Develi district and the cities of Wilmington or Sabyonia in the State of Ohio. It was agreed to initiate the necessary procedures regarding this proposal.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation after the visit, Ohio State Representative Peter Beck stated that during the one-week program they had the opportunity to see what Turkish entrepreneurs have achieved through their own efforts, noting that they were deeply impressed. Beck added that they would launch new initiatives to further strengthen relations between the two sides.