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Kotlas - Waterville Area Sister City Connection P.O. Box 1747 Waterville, ME 04903-1747 Write to Us |
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Home > Projects > Twentieth Anniversary > Two Letters Anniversary Letters From the Waterville Committe and a Former Mayor of KotlasTo mark the twentieth anniversary of the 1990 signing of the sister city agreement between the cities of Kotlas, Russia, and Waterville, Maine, USA, we received congratulatory letters from the Waterville Committee in Kotlas and from the former mayor of Kotlas, Viktor Prokhorovich Zverev, who signed the original sister city agreement. We thank exchange student Vyacheslav Selin for his translations of these letters. Letter from the Waterville Committee
Kotlas-Waterville Bridge of Friendship June 15, 2010 Dear Members of the Kotlas Committee in Waterville: We have the wonderful opportunity to congratulate you on the Twentieth Anniversary of the July 1990 signing of the Waterville-Kotlas Sister City Agreement. It happened because of the efforts of a group of actively engaged people in America and Kotlas. The fresh winds of change in the 1990's opened great possibilities for people from two different continents to see each other face to face and to understand that it is only an ocean that divides us. Our hopes and dreams, our culture, our concern for our environment and the raising of our children — these are our shared aspirations, dreams, and tasks on earth. For twenty years, The Sister City Committees in Kotlas and in Waterville have been working diligently on these tasks. During these years we have visited each other thirty times. Russian and American citizens of all ages have participated: students, teachers, journalists, businessmen, doctors, retirees, and city government leaders. The study of Russian and English language, professional and artistic exchanges, learning the cultures of the Russian and American north, delight in the beauties of nature — all this has enriched us and the residents of our cities. With respect and love, Members of the Waterville Committee of the City of Kotlas Letter from Viktor ZverevThe Honorable Paul R. LePage, Mayor
With a feeling of profound satisfaction, I mark the occasion when our good intentions, strengthened by our 1990 Sister City Agreement, are today confirmed by actual deeds. Visits of official delegations, a medical exchange, a business exchange, and warm relations between the residents of our two cities — everything tells us that your former mayor, David Bernier, and I initiated important and necessary work. Please accept my sincere congratulations on the Twentieth Anniversary of our Sister City Agreement. I am sure that relations between Kotlas and Waterville will be treasured by the next generations of our citizenry and will continue to prosper in the future. I wish you good health and good luck! Yours truly, V.P. Zverev (And I regret that I personally am unable to take part in the celebrations.) |
