NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a partnership more than a decade in the making. Nashville has a new Sister City, and it's first in the Middle East.
Metro Council Members, Mayor John Cooper, members of Sister Cities of Nashville and other community leaders gathered before Tuesday's Metro Council meeting to read a resolution approving a relationship with Erbil.
Erbil is the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is Nashville's tenth Sister City. The Sister City program connects Nashville with people all across the world and promotes cultural, professional and student exchanges.
Nashville currently has nine Sister Cities across the globe — Belfast, Northern Ireland; Caen, France; Edmonton, Canada; Kamakura, Japan; Magdeburg, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Chengdu, China; Taiyuan, China and Tamworth, Australia.
The agreement was finalized after a delegation from Erbil toured Nashville last year, and then a group from Nashville visited Erbil in May.
Supporters said forming an official relationship between the two cities is a perfect fit due to the 25,000 Kurdish residents who call Nashville home.
"It is such a great nod to the Kurdish community who have given a lot to our city," said Sarah Lingo, the Executive Director of Sister Cities of Nashville.
A signing ceremony, which will make the agreement official, is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of September. This will involve Mayor John Cooper and the governor of Erbil and will be open to the public.
