"God gave me the blessing to be born in a small village and to be the mayor of the most beautiful city in the world," İmamoğlu said.
Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu visited Trapezounta (Τραπεζούντα, Turkish: Trabzon) on the southeast Black Sea coast, where he comes from, in the past few days.
İmamoğlu was in Salacık Akçaabat, the village from which he left to start his personal and political career. There, the mayor of Istanbul was welcomed to the sound of Pontic music with him dancing.
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"God gave me the blessing to be born in a small village and to be the mayor of the most beautiful city in the world," said İmamoğlu, who promised to live up to Turkey's expectations.
İmamoğlu was officially certified for his second term as mayor of Istanbul earlier this month following his clear victory in the local elections held on March 31.
Representing the ultra-nationalist Republican People's Party (CHP), he said on April 3, "This mandate belongs to 16 million people! It carries immense significance and responsibility."
"I am fully committed to diligently working towards ensuring a high-quality standard of living for all citizens over the next five years, addressing all aspects of life," he added.
Imamoglu secured victory with 51.14 percent of the votes, surpassing his rival Murat Kurum, the ruling Justice and Development Party candidate, who received 39.59 percent of the votes.
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