Youngstown, Warren to sign Sister-City pacts with cities in China, Israel on Monday

Staff Report

YOUNGSTOWN

Representatives of Youngstown and Warren will sign sister-city agreements Monday with cities in Israel and China designed to create economic opportunities for the Mahoning Valley.

Two signing ceremonies will take place – one in Youngstown and one in China .

At 5:30 p.m. Monday at Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration, both the cities of Youngstown and Warren will celebrate the signing of a Sister-City agreement with Akko, Israel.

This agreement was forged from the initial trip representatives of the two cities made to Israel in January 2010 in conjunction with the Youngstown Jewish Federation and Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s business-development mission.

It was during that trip that Mayors Michael O’Brien and Jay Williams met with officials from Akko. The Youngstown Jewish Federation has been engaged with Akko for many years and laid the groundwork for the January 2010 meeting. Akko is known as a diverse, multi-cultural city that has a modern, vibrant economy. The city has been a role model for the peaceful co-existence of the Arab and Jewish communities.

About 12 hours ahead of the Akko ceremony Monday, O’Brien, representing the city of Warren, will be signing a Sister-City agreement with Dezhou, Shandong Province, China. Dezhou is one of the largest solar-energy producing cities in the world, confirmed by the fact that it hosted the World Solar Congress last September.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.