On February 25-26, 2026, as a delegation from the Union of Municipalities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we held important meetings in Brussels. Our discussions with European institutions were highly productive in terms of strengthening the international cooperation of our municipalities. As part of the program, we met with İlhan Küçük, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs, to discuss the Cyprus issue, the representation of local governments in Europe, and opportunities for legal cooperation. Democratic governance and the strengthening of local administrations were our priority topics. We also met with Member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský to discuss our municipalities’ access to EU funds, financial transparency, and increasing project development capacity. In our meeting with Yaprak Balkan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the EU, we exchanged views on Turkey-EU relations and the role that local governments can play in this process. Furthermore, as Çatalköy-Esentepe Municipality, we presented our Master Plan, outlining our vision for the next 10 years, to EU officials. With this vision document, which includes regional development, infrastructure investments, smart city applications, environmental sustainability, and strengthening institutional capacity, we shared our municipality’s long-term roadmap. We also addressed the issue of water, one of the biggest problems in our region, and shared our proposed solutions for sustainable water management, the evaluation of alternative resources, and infrastructure investments with our counterparts. We also discussed opportunities for international cooperation and technical support in this regard. I believe that our Brussels contacts are an important step for our municipalities to establish direct communication with European institutions and develop concrete projects. In the coming period, we will continue our efforts to transform these contacts into projects and lasting collaborations.