France/ Jura. These two towns, 7,000 kilometers apart, have (finally) signed a twinning agreement. Here's why

Saint-Claude (Jura) and Saint-Claude (Guadeloupe) formalized their union on Wednesday with a twinning charter to enable exchanges despite the 7,000 km distance.

On Wednesday June 25, 2024, the two Saint-Claude towns of Jura and Guadeloupe signed a twinning agreement. This agreement should pave the way for future exchanges between the two Saint-Claude towns.

To the rhythm of drums and West Indian songs in the town council chamber, the two mayors of Saint-Claude, Jean-Louis Millet (Jura) and Lucie Weck-Mirre (Guadeloupe), signed and formalized the twinning agreement between their two towns, to the applause of elected representatives from both cities, 7,000 kilometers apart.

"To link two twin towns is quite exceptional! This fraternal relationship is taking shape today. This charter is here to stay and to last ! "says Jean-Louis Millet.

"In the very essence of fraternity

"This twinning is in the very essence of fraternity : building a bridge between our two peoples, between our two cultures, our two horizons ," adds Lucie Weck-Mirre.

"We can help our elders, young people and children discover Saint-Claude in the Jura! We have soccer and tennis teams... It's possible to organize trips for young people to discover the region," says Lucie Weck-Mirre, mayor of Saint-Claude in Guadeloupe.

Although the terms of the twinning agreement between the two towns have been in the pipeline for some six months, the two Saint-Claude towns had already been close for a long time, says Lucie Weck-Mirre:

"When you know you have a sister city in the Jura, it's only natural that we should find each other. Last year, at the Congress of Mayors, we met with Mr. Millet and decided to set the project in motion, sealing the twinning today. "

A marriage of love or reason?

Two towns, two Saint-Claude, now twinned, but with their own similarities and differences. "This charter is important because our two towns face the same realities when it comes to sport, old age and youth ," explains the mayor of Saint-Claude. "We have similarities that made it easy to draw up the charter. "

The week-long honeymoon is going well. The Guadeloupean delegation and its ten or so members visited Saint-Claude and the surrounding area: discovering Lake Geneva, tasting Comté cheese and Morteau sausages, enjoying a fondue dinner and visiting a hydroelectric dam.

Two towns made to get along: the Post Office and the shippers had already informally united them. "In the population department of Saint-Claude town hall, I often receive mail from the town of Saint-Claude in the Jura. The zip code isn't the same, but the mail can still get mixed up! "says Lucie Weck-Mirre, with a smile, who confesses to having bought a Saint-Claude pipe as a souvenir before her next trip.

Source: actu.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte