Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that the IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference will be held in Istanbul / Turkey, from July 11 to 17, 2010. The venue selected for this prestigious event is the Swissôtel - The Bosphorus (www.swissotel.com).

Istanbul is one of the world's largest mega cities, with a total of about 13 million inhabitants when the populations of the two continents (Asia & Europe ) are combined. The city has a very long and diverse history dating from the Roman ‐ Byzantine Empires to the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul has been chosen as European Capital of Culture for the year 2010.
As a result of this coincidence, there will be a variety of exciting events and happenings taking place in Istanbul in 2010.

We are also organizing a wide range of very tempting social events for you and your accompanying persons which are certain to suit everyone's interests. We will be extremely pleased and honoured to welcome all of you to Istanbul in mid‐July.

Please make sure to mark these dates in your calendar for 2010 and to join the rest of the IIW family at the 63rd IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference. During the International Conference (AWST 2010), a wide range of interesting topics  will be covered , relating to recent advances in welding science and technologies in the fields of construction, energy and transportation areas during the international conference (AWST-2010).

We look forward to welcoming you to Istanbul !

Hülya GEDIK
President
GEV - GEDIK Education and Social Benefits Foundation - Istanbul