Arrived after the Second World War, the concept of town twinning has as its principle socio-cultural exchanges, good practices and sometimes even professional opportunities. Widely developed with German municipalities, the twinning first symbolizes reconciliation and peace and then, in the 1980s, “the construction of a Europe of citizens”.
Twinned with Russian cities for years, Menton, Antibes but also Cannes, in the Alpes-Maritimes, can hardly meet these expectations in the current context of war in Ukraine by Russia.
“We can say goodbye to this pairing”
Audouin Ramboud, deputy mayor of Antibes Juan-les-Pins, delegate for tourism and entertainment, is annoyed. Until then, “relations were going very well” with Krasnogorsk. This municipality, in “the chic suburb of Moscow”, “like Neuilly for Paris”, compares the deputy, had approached the commune of the Alpes-Maritimes in 2010 for a twinning.
“Their request mainly concerned a sporting point. The mayors met and reflected on what could be done concretely. Since then, we have mainly had cultural exchanges, especially with jazz artists for our festival, for example. Recently, a Russian choir had been hosted on the Côte d’Azur and certain French artists had also performed in Russia.
“Today, we have decided, even if we have nothing against the population, to put the agreement on hold, continues Audouin Rambaud. If there is an overall position of France, we will follow the movement. We are waiting to see how it goes but if it does not work out, we can say goodbye to this pairing. »
Links “never really active”
In Menton either, “no decision has been made” as to the future of the friendship created in 1966 with Sochi, says the town hall. The partnership has been “dormant since the start of the Covid epidemic, she specifies. And in general, he was never very active. The municipality “concentrates its forces on solidarity with the Ukrainian people and welcoming families”.
Same answer on the other side of the department, in Cannes, where a “friendship pact” was signed in 1998 with Moscow. This agreement between two cities testifies to a political and cultural rapprochement but also symbolic of trust and forgiveness but “the commitments are less” than with a twinning, explains the city. It was made to “facilitate exchanges with students”, completes the municipality. In a deliberation of a municipal council at the time, that 20 minutes was able to consult, it is also written that these relations had an interest for Cannes from an “economic, cultural and touristic” point of view.
Today, the municipality explains that this friendship pact “has never really been active”. And that “there have been no exchanges with Moscow since February 24”, she adds before specifying that “the question of breaking the pact or not has not arisen for the moment. “. The priority being, as for Menton, “the help we can provide to the Ukrainian people”.
Already twinned with six other municipalities around the world, the city of festivals has just signed a new “support” partnership with Lviv, in Ukraine and “hopes to be able to set up cultural actions a little later”.