Kingston And Port-Of-Spain Agree To Form Closer Ties

The cities of Kingston and Port-of-Spain in Trinidad have agreed to unite to share expertise to advance the local government process.
Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Desmond McKenzie, who made the announcement at the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation’s (KSAC) monthly press conference on Tuesday (Feb.10), said that a formal twinning ceremony would be held in Kingston in July. He said the move by both Caribbean Community (CARICOM) cities was the first of its kind in the region.
Explaining that the twinning would heighten relations between the countries, the Mayor said, “both countries have similarities and I am bold enough to say that their level of local government is well advanced, their local authorities have more autonomy and they operate a fantastic system of local governance.
Councillor McKenzie informed that the move by both cities to forge closer ties was initiated when he visited Trinidad and Tobago in January and he and the Mayor of Port-of-Spain, Murchison Brown, signed a Declaration of Intent of Friendship, which launched the discussions on the twining of the two cities. Noting that Jamaica and Trinidad stood to benefit tremendously from the improved relations, he informed that a team from Port-of-Spain will be visiting the island next week to explore areas of mutual agreement.
“I can believe that we can benefit significantly culturally and otherwise from the twinning relationship with Port-of-Spain and .the Mayor of Port-of-Spain will be visiting in July where we will officially have the twinning of both cities,” the Mayor stated.
Meanwhile, the KSAC is also exploring the possibility of Kingston being twinned with Tegcigalpa, the capital of Honduras and Toronto in Canada.
The Council has also commenced discussions with New York to have closer cooperation with that city, following the recent visit of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had promised to assist in fighting gun crimes, drug trafficking and HIV/AIDS.