Celebrating 45 years of sister city partnership between Matsumoto and Grindelwald

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The delegation from Grindelwald and representatives of the authorities and population of Matsumoto City celebrate 45 years of friendship

Back in 1972, the village of Azumi-mura in Japan and Grindelwald in Switzerland concluded a sister city partnership agreement. After the merger of Azumi-mura into Matsumoto City on April 1, 2005 both Matsumoto City and Grindelwald confirmed the partnership. 2017 thus marks the 45^th anniversary of the city partnership. On this occasion, a delegation of 26 persons from Grindelwald, led by Mayor Christian Anderegg, paid an official visit to Matsumoto where they were received by Dr. Akira Sugenoya, Mayor of Matsumoto City and by representatives of the local authorities and population. The official welcome event in Matsumoto was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the partnership so far and to plan the next steps in this special relationship.

The Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan, Jean-François Paroz, stressed the importance of such city partnerships for the official bilateral relations: “A city partnership, and in particular if it has been established already 45 years ago, is an important element of the political, social and cultural life of two local communities. But it is more than that: it is also a significant contribution to the bilateral relations between two countries, in our case, between Switzerland and Japan. It is thanks to the privileged relations between people and communities in both countries, just as your city partnership and 17 others between Japanese and Swiss cities, that our relations are not only excellent but also solid and rooted in a genuine friendship.”