Twin Cities of Sochi

International movement of twin (sister) cities arose in severe years of World War Two, when the human civilization's destiny was being solved on the banks of the Russian river Volga. In 1942 Borough Council and inhabitants of the English city Coventry, victims of barbarian bombings, addressed with a message to a city-hero Stalingrad to establish friendly contacts between two cities. The telegramme which turned yellow with time and a huge table cloth, sent in the same year as a present to the Soviet city on which 830 Coventry women embroidered their names, are kept among the other relics in the museum of Stalingrad's fighting glory next to the huge picture of Stalingrad's battle. Thus on the basis of twinning movement the ideas of struggle for peace and democracy, consolidating of mutual understanding and co-operation among the nations and states were put.
The example of Coventry and Stalingrad was followed by the other cities from all the Republics of the USSR and many countries of the world. With the growth of the number of the cities that wished to develop friendly relations the issue on the uniting of the twin cities into one organization rose. In Russia Twin Cities International Association (TCIA) became such an organization.
The President of Russian Federation V.Putin estimated the work of the Russian cities on consolidating the relations with the foreign partners in the following way: "Twin cities movement initiated during the World War Two within the last years has become a convincing example of effectiveness of people's democracy. For a period of a few decades this civil initiative enjoys a vast recognition and support of international public, serves consolidation of solidarity, mutual understanding, peace and friendship among the nations."
Since 1965 our health-resort Sochi has become a full member of Twin Cities International Association and since 2002 - a member of board of TCIA. Every year our city relations with twin cities grow and develop.
Nowadays Sochi maintains friendly relations with eight foreign twin cities: Cheltenham (Great Britain, since 1959), Menton (France, since 1966), Rimini (Italy, since 1977), Espoo (Finland, since 1989), Long Beach (USA, since 1990), Trabzon (Turkey, since 1991), Parnu (Estonia, since 1994), Weihai (China, since 1996). All these cities are united by the following common traits: coastal position (apart from Cheltenham), resort's traits of economics, approximately the same number of inhabitants and non-official status of "summer capitals" in the states (apart from Trabzon).
More information about mentioned above cities and twin towns' history you can find on our site, just click on the name of the city.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14