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Ocho Rios twinned with Ostroda, Poland

Published:Friday | July 6, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Czeslaw Najmowicz (right), mayor of Ostroda in Poland, and Michael Belnavis, mayor of St Ann, signing an agreement to twin Ocho Rios with the Polish city. The ceremony took place in Ostroda yesterday.

Jamaica's resort town of Ocho Rios in St Ann was twinned with the northern Polish town of Ostroda in a ceremony in that European country yesterday.

A five-member delegation from the St Ann Municipal Corporation, headed by Mayor Michael Belnavis, left Jamaica on Wednesday night for Poland to represent the country at the signing ceremony in Ostroda, a town considered a growing tourist site.

The signing also involved head of the diplomatic mission from the Polish Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Milena Lukasiewics, and councillors of the City of Ostroda.

The twinning of the towns will lead to exchanges in matters relating to tourism, culture, and sports, as well as the exchanging of representatives of local government and the adoption of best practices at that level.

It is the first time that twinning between a city in Poland and in Jamaica has taken place, and it is very fitting as both countries are internationally known for hosting reggae festivals. The Jamaican delegation is expected to visit the Ostroda Reggae Festival during its visit to Poland.

The Jamaican delegation comprises of Mayor Belnavis, councillors Ian Bell, Genevor Gordon-Bailey, and Kim Brown-Lawrence, along with Rovel Morris, acting chief executive officer of the St Ann Municipal Corporation.