Portsmouth City Council Advances Valletta Twinning Proposal

The city of Portsmouth has moved closer to establishing a twinning relationship with Valletta, the Maltese capital, following an agreement by councillors to progress the initiative. During a recent session, Portsmouth City Council decided to reach out to officials in Valletta to discuss the potential for a sister city partnership. Charlotte Gerada, who leads the Labour group within the council, initially put forward the twinning proposal in August. She emphasized the shared historical, cultural, and naval connections between the two cities, alongside the significant Maltese population residing in Portsmouth. A considerable number of individuals relocated to Portsmouth from the Mediterranean island during the 1970s to be employed in the city’s dockyards. Ms Gerada stated: “My Nannu [Grandfather] was among hundreds of other Maltese that worked at the dockyard – there are now three generations of Maltese families living here.” She also noted that Malta served as a vital British naval base for more than 150 years. “As Portsmouth is the British home for the Royal Navy, anyone who has served will have visited Valletta at some point,” Ms Gerada remarked. She further mentioned the crucial part the island played during World War Two, characterizing it as a pivotal site that “fended off Nazis in the skies and Italian fascists torpedoing the seas”. Councillor Chris Atwell, representing the council’s twinning advisory group, also expressed his backing for the proposal. He affirmed that there were “sufficient strategic interests and historic ties to support a formal approach to Valletta”. Portsmouth currently maintains twinning relationships with several international cities, including Caen in France, Duisburg in Germany, Haifa in Israel, and Sydney in Australia, in addition to other municipalities located in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Canada. The concept of twinning, also known as sister cities, originated after World War Two with the aim of fostering diplomacy as well as cultural and commercial connections.