Consul-General Tanabe Attends the 30 Year Anniversary of the Twinning Relationship between Lacombe, Alberta, and Rikubetsu, Hokkaido
The ceremony for the 30th anniversary of the twinning between Lacombe, Alberta, and Rikubestu, Hokkaido, originally established in 1986, was held this past September 17th, with attending guests including Consul-General Tanabe, His Worship Mayor Steve Christie of Lacombe, His Worship Mayor Hidetaka Nojiri, and a group of middle school students from the Town of Rikubetsu. Events included a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for a monument with both town names engraved, followed by a dinner.
In Consul-General Tanabe’s remarks he noted that grass-roots people to people interaction strengthens the ties between regions, and subsequently nations, while he expressed his hope that on the auspicious occasion of the 30th anniversary of their exchange, they enjoy a yet further deepening of their relationship as they move forward. Mayor Christie expressed his gratitude for the friendship and generous efforts made by all those involved over the past 30 years, while Mayor Nojiri stated that the cross-cultural understanding borne of such twinning relationships correlate to world peace, and voiced his hope that the younger generation participating in the program cultivate an expanded perspective, building a yet more robust partnership.
