Kaleici Old Town Festival
From the 8th to the 13th of October 2025, the Port Regional Council was invited to attend the Antalya Kaleici Old Town Festival as part of a delegation formed by the Local Councils’ Association. This opportunity allowed delegations from across Malta and Gozo, Europe and the world to come together in a show of solidarity, cultural exchange, and peace.
Our delegation was particularly touched by the warm welcome of the town’s residents during the multi-national public parade that invited attendees to bring along items of heritage, locality, and state flag, as well as items of traditional clothing. This was an excellent opportunity to meet with delegates from other countries, to witness the rich artistic and cultural life of the city, and to spread awareness of our delegation’s own initiatives, including the promotion of Virtual Malta – Reġjun Lvant.
The Region’s deepest gratitude goes to Mayor Ümit Uysal and his team for their hospitality and for their organisation of networking opportunities and sharing of projects between invited localities and regions. As part of the Maltese delegation, the Port Regional Council was given the opportunity to present the Region’s cultural program and initiatives, to highlight the possibility and reality of military and defensive infrastructure being put to leisurely, touristic, and cultural heritage use, as well as to honour the real possibility of friendly relations between states and peoples, despite histories of conflict, as highlighted in our presence and welcome at this year’s festival in Turkey.
Besides the town-twinning signing between Kaleici and Kamianets-Podilskyi, the occasion gave rise to the signing of a Peace Declaration that united attendees in solidarity with those currently in conditions of war and which outlines the way forward for signatories. In signing, we have thus re-committed our efforts towards the peaceful preservation of culture, celebrating it not just as a mark of local identity but as a thread in the colourful tapestry of universal human culture. Our presence at the festival allowed for a greater synergy between Regions in Malta and Gozo to emerge while paving the way for new European and international collaborations.
We thank the Local Councils’ Association for entrusting us with this opportunity and extend a final acknowledgement to our guide Hüseyin Çalışkan, who facilitated our visit and made our stay truly memorable.
