Valletta twinning proposed for Portsmouth

The city of Valletta is a Unesco World Heritage site

The idea of twinning Portsmouth with the capital of Malta has been proposed due to the historical, cultural and naval links between the cities.

Charlotte Gerada, leader of the Labour group on Portsmouth City Council, suggested the official link with Valletta to the authority's twinning advisory group.

She said there were already "strong links" between the two maritime cities.

Portsmouth also has an active Maltese community which organises local cultural events.

The practice of twinning, or sister cities, was introduced after World War Two to promote diplomacy along with cultural and commercial ties.

Ms Gerada, who is of Maltese descent, mentioned that hundreds of Maltese people moved to Portsmouth in the late 1970s for work in the dockyard, including her grandfather.

With many Royal Navy personnel either having been posted to Malta or having trained there, Ms Gerada said: “If you have anything to do with the navy or the maritime industry, then Malta is renowned.”

She also highlighted further similarities, noting that both cities feature historical fortifications, boast island locations, and have populations that share “enterprising” and “outward-looking” attitudes toward life.

The lord mayor, Jason Fazackarley, has agreed to host a flag-raising ceremony on 21 September to celebrate Malta’s Independence Day.

Councillors recently met to discuss other twinning proposals, including with Berehomet in Ukraine, two port cities in Turkey, and Jericho in Palestine.

Portsmouth is already twinned with Caen in France, Duisburg in Germany, Haifa in Israel, and Sydney in Australia, along with other cities in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Canada.