France/ "To convey this message of universalism": Following its partnership with Tunisia in 2025, Montereau votes to establish a sister-city relationship with a city in Turkey
Montereau continues to expand its international reach. Following its twinning with Souassi, Tunisia, in 2025, the city has just approved a new twinning agreement with Yalova, Turkey—its seventh overall.
On September 29, 2025, the City of Montereau formalized its first sister city partnership in 20 years—its sixth overall—with the municipality of Souassi, Tunisia. This partnership built on the ties already forged between the two communities, as many families in Montereau have roots in that region. Less than a year later, the City of the Confluent turned its attention to another country. In fact, at the end of June, during the last city council meeting before the summer break, the city council approved a new sister city partnership—its seventh. This time, with the city of Yalova, Turkey.
“Quite a few things in common”
“The municipality of Yalova passed its resolution in the spring, and we did so just before summer. We are now in the process of notifying the respective foreign ministries so that the initiative by both local governments can be recognized by both countries,” explains Montereau’s mayor, James Chéron.
While the name of this city of 120, 000 residents, located on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, may not ring a bell for you, it is well known to many residents of Montereau. This twinning was not chosen at random, as several families living in the town are originally from this region of Turkey.
“In addition to these pre-existing personal ties, we chose Yalova because it is an easily accessible city, located near Istanbul. It is also a municipality known for its economic, industrial, and spa activities. Finally, it is also a community committed to urban development and innovation projects, so we have quite a few things in common,” explains the mayor.
“A Land of Industry”
At the heart of this twinning initiative lies a desire for technical exchanges in the fields of water, energy, and waste management, as well as a desire for cultural, athletic, and educational cooperation. Finally, work will be carried out on the economic front: “We share the characteristic of being industrial regions , ” notes James Chéron.
As for the timeline, we are still in the institutional and administrative phase. Next will come the official signing ofthe cooperation agreement between the two municipalities, followed by the first exchanges, which will likely involve local organizations or young people from the city.
While these exchanges are still facing challenges in getting off the ground with Souassi—since Tunisia is currently undergoing a transitional period without a municipal government—they are, however, well established with other sister cities, such as Safi in Morocco.
“We have jointly submitted a project focused on pottery—since our two cities share this heritage—with the aim of developing initiatives in this field. We have been selected by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, so we will be able to build concrete exchanges in the coming years. “The potter from Safi will come to Montereau to discover our methods of making pottery and earthenware, and vice versa,” emphasizes Montereau’s mayor.
“Continuing to carry this message of universalism”
While these sister city partnerships may seem trivial to some residents, they are in fact of considerable importance, the mayor asserts.
“There is, of course, the power of symbolism. But to understand the principle behind twinning, we must also go back to its origins: the post-World War II era. At that time, people wanted to send a message to their governments that they aspired to work toward peace,” he recalls. “Today, rivalries still exist in new forms, and it’s important to continue carrying this message of universalism. The more people know one another, the harder it is to make them go to war,” concludes James Chéron.
Finally, it should be noted that a sister-city relationship with another Turkish city, Aydin, has already existed for several decades. Unfortunately, since the current municipal administration is not interested in the twinning arrangement, Montereau has chosen to forge ties with Yalova, while leaving open the possibility of one day renewing the partnership with Aydin, should a change in municipal leadership breathe new life into that previous twinning arrangement.
Source: actu.fr/ile-de-france/
