Kotor becomes Santa Barbara's sixth sister city
29.08.2009
Kotor, a seaside resort town in Montenegro, has joined a growing list of municipalities that are linked to Santa Barbara through a sister cities program.
City leaders unanimously approved the relationship on Tuesday and a host of activities are already planned, including an exchange of cultural ideas about community development, a culinary scholarship program for orphans in Kotor, and a visit from the city’s mayor and delegation later this year.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful community,” said George Lilly, who led a local delegation to the Mediterranean locale to meet with city officials and tour the area.
He described Kotor as one of the last unspoiled parts of the world — a medieval wall city secluded in the Gulf of Kotor with mountains rising in the background. In recent years, the city has grown in popularity as a tourist destination due to its natural beauty, offshore islands and Mediterranean climate.
Lilly said he hopes that the sister-city relationship will aid officials there as they develop their future as a resort town akin to Santa Barbara. In addition to the scholarship program, the committee also established an exchange program with UC Santa Barbara waterpolo players to train with the reigning European champions from Montenegro.
City leaders were also encouraged by the opportunity to share community development ideas, particularly on topics such as sustainability, energy efficiency and water usage.
“The one thing I think we can really help them a lot with is our green team,” Councilmember Roger Horton said.
Kotor is the sixth foreign city to establish an official relationship with Santa Barbara through the sister city program, joining Toba City, Japan; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Weihai, China; San Juan, Philippines; and Dingle, Ireland.
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