From the 19th to the 24th: Three European Cities (Genoa, Italy; Barcelona and Madrid, Spain)
Mayor Park: "Korea's Leading City Role, City Brand Up, Sustainable Urban Development Expected"
Busan Mayor Park Hyungjoon will embark on an official visit to three European cities?Genoa in Italy, and Barcelona and Madrid in Spain?starting on the 19th.
This seven-day, five-night trip aims to lay the groundwork for Busan's leap as a global hub city. Mayor Park will begin by signing a new friendship and cooperation agreement with the city of Genoa, strengthen ties with sister city Barcelona to promote practical cultural and economic exchanges, and seek opportunities for mutual growth and cooperation between Busan and Spanish local governments through active city diplomacy.
During the visit, Mayor Park's itinerary includes: ▲ signing a friendship and cooperation agreement between Busan and Genoa ▲ commemorating the 41st anniversary of the Busan-Barcelona sister city relationship with a joint declaration to strengthen ties ▲ concluding MOUs between Busan Museum of Art and three Spanish cultural and arts institutions, including the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art ▲ signing a letter of intent for cooperation between Busan and the UN Tourism Organization ▲ hosting the Busan-Madrid Economic and Investment Cooperation Forum ▲ and holding discussions with the Mayor of Madrid on exchange and cooperation. The schedule is packed and meticulously organized.
First, on the morning of May 20 (local time), Mayor Park will meet with Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci to discuss cooperation in various fields, including maritime and port affairs, investment and trade, tourism, culture, arts, and sports. In the afternoon, he will visit the Genoa Port Authority to discuss port cooperation and tour the cruise terminal facilities, which serve over 2 million cruise passengers annually.
This year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy. Genoa, which will become Busan's first friendship and cooperation city in Italy, is located in the Liguria region of northern Italy. It is a traditional hub of Mediterranean shipping, with an efficient route from East Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal.
On the afternoon of May 21 (local time), Mayor Park will visit Barcelona City Hall to meet with Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni. Through the signing of a joint declaration to strengthen the sister city relationship, he aims to further deepen the warm friendship that has continued since the sisterhood was established in 1983. In particular, efforts will be made to discover and promote new collaborative projects in digital innovation and arts and cultural content with Barcelona.
Additionally, on the same afternoon, Busan Museum of Art will sign MOUs with Spanish cultural and arts institutions to promote various exchange projects related to the city’s ongoing initiatives, such as the "Art and Culture Cluster: Igidae Art Park" and the reopening of Busan Museum of Art.
On the afternoon of May 22 (local time), Mayor Park will visit the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce to discuss economic cooperation with Catalonia, including Barcelona, which accounts for more than 20% of Spain's GDP and is known as the "economic engine of Southern Europe."
On the morning of May 23 (local time), a letter of intent for joint cooperation will be signed with the UN Tourism Organization, a leading international tourism body under the United Nations, to expand the foundation of Busan as an international tourism city.
Later that day, in the afternoon, Mayor Park will attend the Busan-Madrid Economic and Investment Cooperation Forum at the Madrid Chamber of Commerce. At the forum, he is expected to say, "I hope to explore diverse opportunities for accelerating economic growth between Busan and Madrid, which both have strengths in urban infrastructure, tourism, and high value-added industries."
On the morning of May 24, Mayor Park will meet with Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, in the Spanish capital renowned for its beautiful nature, history, and world-class football clubs. Building on the previous day’s economic cooperation forum, he will request support for Busan companies seeking to enter the Madrid market and aims to establish a starting point for cultural and economic exchanges between Busan and Madrid.
The key figures Mayor Park will meet during this trip include not only the mayors of the three cities but also leading figures from various sectors. It is expected that Mayor Park's "city administration sales activities" to promote "Global Hub City Busan" will gain further momentum.
Other notable figures include the Secretary General of the Ligurian Sea Port Authority in western Italy, the presidents of the Barcelona and Madrid Chambers of Commerce, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Tourism Organization, major business leaders in Madrid, heads of major Spanish cultural and arts institutions, and diplomatic representatives based in Italy and Spain.
Mayor Park stated, "This year marks the first year of realizing 'Global Hub City Busan' as a central city of Korea, based on Busan's enhanced innovation capabilities and urban competitiveness. Through ongoing and practical exchanges and cooperation with global cities, I expect not only to enhance Busan's city brand but also to achieve meaningful results for the sustainable development of our city."
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