Mayor of Gibraltar Presented with Keys to Kingston

Mayor of Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino Lopez, has been conferred with the keys to the City of Kingston in recognition of the long-standing ties between the cities of more than 70 years.

Kingston’s Mayor, Senator Delroy Williams, made the presentation during a special sitting of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation on Wednesday (February 27).

Mrs. Aldorino Lopez, who is on a week-long visit to Kingston, said she is appreciative of the gesture, which is significant, given the history the cities share.

She noted that 77 years ago, Kingston gave refuge to more than 2,000 Gibraltar evacuees during World War II.

Jamaica was one of the countries that provided a safe haven for the Gibraltar civilian population in the 1940s, when the British territory was evacuated and fortified against the possibility of a German attack. They were housed at Gibraltar Camp at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

In his remarks, Senator Williams pointed out that while the Second World War brought the two cities together “we share so much more than a colonial history. We share taste, music, culture, and cities filled with many (similar) issues”.

He noted that these challenges could be addressed through collaboration and cooperation.

Mr. Williams led a Jamaican delegation to Gibraltar in 2018, where a Gibraltar/Kingston Sister Cities Twinning Instrument was signed, aimed at enhancing the historical, cultural and socio-economic ties.

Gibraltar is a small island-nation located to the south of Spain and its capital city, Gibraltar, has a population of approximately 34,000 people.

The country is mostly covered by the limestone ridge popularly known as the Rock of Gibraltar.