The two islands Gokccada in Turkey and Sardinia in Italy have started a project of business expertise exchange and trade agreements to support organic farming and agritourism in both regions.

The first stage of the project had been presented by Umberto Oppus, the Mayor of the project's leading Sardinian town Mandas, and a Turkish delegation visiting Sardinia consisting of government officials and Yucel Atalay, the Mayor of Gokccada island. This first stage has started in June 2008 and will end in November this year, while the second stage, which is part of the cooperation program ENPI, is being launched in October 2009. So far the project ''Learning Organic Life in the Island'' has benefited from EU funding amounting to 180 thousand euros. In the second stage it should reach about 200 thousand euros. "For Mandas and the surrounding municipalities this is an opportunity to make the most of European resources with projects related to socio-economic partnership - said Oppus -. For the Turks this is an opportunity to broaden their offer thanks to multifunctionality in agriculture."

According to mayor Atalay "the two towns will exchange best practices thus broadening the cooperation project".