Valletta mayor visits Portsmouth as twinning plans advance
The Mayor of Valletta, Malta, recently visited Portsmouth as plans to twin the two cities move closer.
Two Maltese politicians, Olaf McKay, Mayor of Valletta, and his colleague, councillor Daniel Diacono, attended Portsmouth City Council’s Mayor Making ceremony earlier this month to advance discussions on establishing a formal twinning arrangement.
Twinning, also known as sister cities, is a practice popularised after the Second World War to foster diplomatic, cultural, and commercial ties between nations.
Councillor Charlotte Gerada, who is of Maltese descent and leads Portsmouth's Labour group, has championed the potential link between the two maritime cities since August last year.
She said that the connections between the cities are “remarkable” due to their shared naval heritage, significance in the Second World War effort, and the Maltese community in Portsmouth who have “contributed so much to making our city the great place that it is”.
Mayor Olaf McKay highlighted the “huge” economic opportunities such as an increase in cruise calls and tourism between the cities’ publicly owned ports.
He suggested educational collaborations including virtually connecting classrooms, a touring Second World War exhibition, and partnerships between artists in both cities.
He added: “We look forward to the opportunities twinning will bring for both cities and I thank Portsmouth for the warm welcome we’ve received.”
Councillor Daniel Diacono, culture and communities lead for Valletta Council, remarked on how “similar” both cities are, being “steeped in history”, experiencing high tourist footfall, and sharing a commitment to investing in and protecting heritage.
He added: “We’ve also been approached by dozens of people both in Portsmouth and Valletta who are excited about the prospects of twinning and already have ideas for projects that could celebrate our historical links, develop cultural facilities and grow our local economies.”
At Portsmouth City Council’s annual general meeting, Mayor McKay, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Vernon-Jackson, and Council Leader Steve Pitt signed a sister agreement, furthering the twinning initiative and establishing a memorandum of understanding between the two cities.
However, Valletta’s vice mayor, Alfred Zammit, recently argued in a Facebook post that Portsmouth is incompatible with Valletta as it is not a capital city and lacks any UNESCO World Heritage status.