Paju City to Promote Exchanges in Economy and Culture
New Horizons for Cooperation Between Border Cities
Laying the Foundation for European Peace Diplomacy
Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 12th that it will sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) for Friendship City Partnership with Bialystok, Poland, in June, and plans to discuss the potential for practical cooperation between the two cities in the fields of business, administration, youth, and culture.
To this end, Paju City will form a delegation of 11 officials, including the mayor, and visit Bialystok from June 19 to June 25, coinciding with the city's annual signature cultural festival. During the visit, the delegation will hold working-level meetings to discuss cooperation in the areas of business, youth, culture, and administration.
This visit, which will mark the first official exchange between the two cities, follows a letter sent by Bialystok Mayor Tadeusz Truskolaski in November last year proposing a sister city relationship with Paju. In January of this year, the mayor of Paju was officially invited to the "Day of Bialystok" event. Over the past several months, the two cities have coordinated the visit schedule through working-level exchanges.
Bialystok, located in northeastern Poland and bordering Belarus, is recognized within Europe for its unique urban identity, which is based on a history of multicultural coexistence and sustainable urban policies.
Paju City expects that exchanges between the two border cities, which share similar characteristics, will not only lay the foundation for friendly cooperation and the sharing of values such as peace and coexistence, but also enable multifaceted exchanges and cooperation in economic, social, and cultural fields through the signing of the Letter of Intent for Friendship City Partnership. In addition, by visiting during Bialystok's signature cultural festival, the city anticipates natural exchanges with local citizens and an enhanced image of Paju's urban diplomacy.
A Paju City official stated, "Through this exchange, we plan to establish a network base with European cities and expand citizen-centered international exchanges in various fields such as business, youth, culture, and local administration." The official added, "In particular, by presenting an international model of solidarity between border cities, we expect this to serve as an opportunity to strengthen Paju's capabilities in peace-oriented urban diplomacy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
