Vilnis Ķirsis, the Chairman of the Riga City Council and Linda Ozola, the Deputy Mayor, met with Yoshida Kensuke, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Latvia at the City Hall on Wednesday, 2 April. At the end of the visit, the leadership of the Riga City Council received from the ambassador a certificate of honour from the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, awarded for the significant contribution to the promotion of sister city relations between Riga and the Japanese city of Kobe.
"This is a great honour for Riga, which we accept with true emotion. The friendship between Riga and Kobe over the course of half a century has also had an impact on the interstate relations between Latvia and Japan, making them closer and, by creating opportunities for cooperation between businesspeople from both countries, more fruitful. And, of course, one of our ambassadors in the Japanese city of Kobe is our elephant Zuze, who helps us bring the name of Riga and Latvia to the world,” emphasizes V. Ķirsis
During the conversation, cooperation between Riga and Japan in strengthening economic ties and education was discussed, as well as looking back at the 50th anniversary of the twinning between Riga and Kobe celebrated last year.
Letters of Commendation of the Japanese Foreign Minister are awarded to individuals and organisations for outstanding achievements in the international field, expressing appreciation for their contribution to strengthening friendship between Japan and other countries. They also promote understanding and support among Japanese society for the activities of these recipients.
The twinning between Riga and Kobe began on 18 June 1974, and since then has grown, developed, and strengthened, encompassing various areas important to both cities. Last year, the 50th anniversary of the twinning of the two cities was celebrated with the exchange of visits by official delegations.
The mutual friendship between the two towns reminds the residents of Kobe garden in Agenskalns neighbourhood, which is created according to Japanese-style gardens, more than 100 sakuras in Uzvaras Park and on Kr. Valdemāra and Kalpaka Boulevard in 1993, which shows the time of Riga and Kobe in two dials. There is the same clock in Kobe.
During these years of twinning, the Riga National Zoo has also developed a close cooperation with Kobe Zoo. Almost everyone in Kobe knows that everyone's favourite elephant Zuze came to their town from Riga years ago. Our Zoo has also sent a pair of lynxes, Duke and Lucy, and Kobe has sent Japanese cranes, macaques, red macaws and red ibises in return.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv
