Politics Portsmouth could be twinned with Malta's capital Valletta due to strong links to the navy By Toby Paine Published 7th Aug 2024, 11:29 BST Comment Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276 Visit Shots! now An idea for Portsmouth to be twinned with Valletta, the capital of Malta, has been put forward, citing the historical, cultural, and naval links between the cities. Councillor Charlotte Gerada, leader of the Labour group, has proposed the twinning after joining the Portsmouth City Council’s twinning advisory group. The practice of twinning, or sister cities, was introduced after the Second World War to promote diplomacy along with cultural and commercial ties.
Portsmouth is currently twinned with Caen in France, Duisburg in Germany, Haifa in Israel, and Sydney in Australia, among other cities in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Canada. Cllr Gerada, who is of Maltese descent, highlighted the strong historical and cultural links between Valletta and Portsmouth. She mentioned that hundreds of Maltese people moved to Portsmouth in the late 1970s for work in the dockyard, including her grandfather.
Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A proposal has been made to twin Portsmouth with Malta's capital Valletta. Pictured is: Charlotte Gerada, Labour group leader, elected for Central Southsea ward. Picture: Sarah Standing (020524-8415) | Sarah Standing Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital.