ISTANBUL - Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna said on Thursday that pollution in the Danube River was killing the Black Sea, adding that as the Istanbul Municipality, they would extend the biggest support to efforts to prevent the pollution.
A symposium on ''International Control and Prevention of Sea and Inner Sea Pollution in Black Sea and Mediterranean'' organized by the Istanbul Municipality and the Balkan Environment Association (BENA) started at the Akgun Hotel in Istanbul.
Making opening remarks of the symposium, Gurtuna said that they had taken important steps regarding environment in Istanbul, and they attributed importance to harmony between their projects and human life, history and environment.
Noting that in Istanbul, they had implemented the biggest environmental projects in the world, Gurtuna said, ''it was said that the Golden Horn could never be purified. However, we took a great initiative and we cleaned the Golden Horn, the Strait and Marmara Sea to a great extent.''
Stressing that they attributed importance to BENA's efforts to clean the Danube River and Black Sea, Gurtuna said, ''pollution in the Danube is killing an inner sea like Black Sea. As the Istanbul Municipality, we will extend the greatest support to prevention of pollution in the Danube. Pollution that comes from the Danube is also negatively affecting the Istanbul Strait and Marmara Sea.''
Meanwhile, BENA Chairman Fokion Vosniakos gave information on the association's efforts for purification of the Danube River and Black Sea.
A number of scientists from Romania, Macedonia, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania are attending the symposium which will end on May 18.
(MS-AÖ) 15.05.2003