By Chen Su, Wei Yuan, Wang Gaofei, Zhang Dongfang
(ECNS) -- China's experience once again reminds us and the world that civilization can only advance and progress in harmony with nature and as part of a greater whole, said Ahmet Hamamcıoğlu, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Economic, Trade and Cultural Development Association (BRIETDA), on Thursday.
Hamamcıoğlu made the remarks at the China-Türkiye Dialogue on Ecological Civilization and Green Transition held in Istanbul during the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which opened on Monday in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.
The dialogue was jointly hosted by China News Service and the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, with China News Network and the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment serving as co-organizers. It's the second of China News Service's flagship "News Lounge" series events in Türkiye.
Hamamcıoğlu expressed appreciation for China's efforts to promote the concept of ecological civilization and voiced hope that stronger environmental protection efforts would help drive local economic development.
Hamamcıoğlu noted that some individuals and institutions have placed excessive emphasis on material interests at the expense of ecological harmony, resulting in damage to ecosystems and the large-scale destruction of forests. Against this backdrop, strengthening environmental protection is particularly important, he said.
He also praised the role played by the Environmental Organizations Solidarity Association (ÇEKUD), a non-governmental environmental organization headquartered in Istanbul. The organization has established forests featuring economically valuable tree species, with the aim of promoting ecological harmony while supporting local economic development, he said.
Inspired by ÇEKUD's experience, the BRIETDA has launched feasibility studies on the ecosystems of the Eber Lake basins in Turkish Bolvadin, with the aim of restoring ecological balance in Eber Lake and dozens of surrounding villages, he said.
He expressed hope that these efforts would help restore and preserve ecological harmony in Eber Lake while better harnessing its ecological value to support local economic development.
Hamamcıoğlu also recalled that his association had invited a business and trade delegation from Boxing County in Binzhou, east China's Shandong Province, to visit the Eber Lake about six months ago.
"Migratory birds stopping over at Lake Eber will continue carrying messages of peace and friendship from Türkiye to the lakes in Boxing," he said.
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