Valletta and Portsmouth twinning plan edges closer

Portsmouth is closer to being twinned with the Maltese city of Valletta after councillors agreed to advance the plans.

At a recent meeting, Portsmouth City Council agreed to contact officials in the Maltese capital to explore the idea of forming a sister city relationship.

Charlotte Gerada, leader of the Labour group on the council, proposed the twinning in August.

She highlighted the historical, cultural and naval links between the cities, as well as the large Maltese community that calls Portsmouth home.

Many moved to Portsmouth from the Mediterranean island in the 1970s to work on the city's dockyards.

Ms Gerada said: "My Nannu [Grandfather] was among hundreds of other Maltese that worked at the dockyard – there are now three generations of Maltese families living here."

Malta was also home to a key British naval base for over 150 years.

"As Portsmouth is the British home for the Royal Navy, anyone who has served will have visited Valletta at some point," Ms Gerada said.

She also referenced the key role the island played in World War Two, describing it as a critical location that "fended off Nazis in the skies and Italian fascists torpedoing the seas".

Councillor Chris Atwell, speaking on behalf of the council’s twinning advisory group, also supported the plan.

He said there were “sufficient strategic interests and historic ties to support a formal approach to Valletta".

Portsmouth is already twinned with Caen in France, Duisburg in Germany, Haifa in Israel, and Sydney in Australia, along with other cities in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Canada.

The practice of twinning, or sister cities, was introduced after World War Two to promote diplomacy along with cultural and commercial ties.

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