Minneapolis celebrates its ties to 12 "sister cities"
MINNEAPOLIS – Did you know Minneapolis has several "sister cities" around the world?
From Chile and Canada, to Finland and Japan, a "sister city" is a partnership promoting culture, history, and sometimes trade.
The annual "Sister Cities Day" celebration was held at Nicollet Island Pavilion Sunday afternoon. The event is meant to highlight the global relationships Minneapolis has with 12 distant cities.
"It's great to see all of our friends representing those relationships that we have, and be able to understand really the importance of having citizen diplomacy and being able to connect with our neighbors from around the world," said Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Sister Cities program was created in 1961. Its first "sister city" was Santiago, Chile.