ISTANBUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, met on Thursday with 42 Italian investors over exploring cooperation opportunities in his effort to attract more foreign investment.
"Istanbul is one of the most valuable brands in the world. We aim to carry this brand to upper levels," Imamoglu told the representatives from the Confederation of Italian Entrepreneurs Worldwide.
"We are open to all kinds of cooperation and contribution," he said.
The mayor has been seeking financial resources from abroad to resume unfinished projects in the biggest city of Turkey, as Turkey's state-owned banks closed their doors to the municipality.
For that purpose, Imamoglu met last week with chairmen of chambers of commerce from 10 countries, including the United States, Australia and eight European countries.
The mayor said Istanbul has been working on establishing an Istanbul Investment Agency.
Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party, was certified as the mayor of Istanbul in June, breaking the 25-year-old hold on the city by the ruling Justice and Development Party.
