ISTANBUL - "Trade should not threaten the future of Istanbul which is the capital city of culture and history," said Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim who spoke at the inauguration of the 38th Congress of the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM) in Istanbul on Monday.
CIESM President Prince Albert II of Monaco also participates in the congress.
Yildirim reminded that International Maritime Organization (IMO) took under protection the Mediterranean which is shared by 23 countries.
Stressing that the Mediterranean is both a water route and a tourism basin, Yildirim said that each year 1 million yachts travel in the Mediterranean and they find the opportunity of touring all countries surrounding the Mediterranean. He added that sensitivity to protect the seas and keep it clean has grown these days in which climate and ecologic changes are high on the agenda.
Yildirim said that 95 percent of the seas is polluted by wastes stemmed from lands and the rest stemmed from seas. He added that it is time for developed and developing countries to make a cooperation and prepare a joint action plan against this situation.
Noting that Istanbul and Canakkale straits as well as Marmara Sea are also very busy water routes, Yildirim said that more than 50,000 vessels pass from these routes annually.