SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) - One San Jose City Councilmember is proposing to suspend a sister city relationship with Russia's fourth-largest city over the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The proposal was discussed in a meeting on Wednesday.
“This is not against the Russian people. This is against the Russian government and symbolic in that invasion against Ukraine. I would do the same for Cameroon or Cambodia,” Sylvia Arenas said.
San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas is pushing to suspend the city's relationship with Ekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia.
Sister cities are linked, usually for the purposes of cultural exchange. The proposal was presented at a meeting Wednesday – It was met with both support and opposition.
“It has the complete opposite effect. It closes off a vital and off times last channel of communications with vulnerable and isolated populations of the people to people level,” Tim Quigley said.
One of the commenters, Tim Quigley, chairman at sister cities international said:
“I am in contact daily with my counterpart (in Russia). She and her neighbors have been protesting and arrested several times already with respect to the actions that are going on."
Council members suggested an amendment which is to write letters to the city of Ekaterinburg to voice concerns.
“There's some challenges we've seen with the idea of suspending our sister city relationship but we are being able to express our concerns directly through this correspondence,” San Jose Councilmember David Cohen said.
“The community here in the city of San Jose, the Ukrainian community and their family members and those who love others in the Ukraine they want to see us take a stance and this is the time to do it,” Arenas said.
In a memo to the city council, Mayor Sam Liccaro declined the proposal. The memo instead recommends the city express solidarity with Ukraine through lighting city hall and supporting Ukrainian refugees.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/BcPzMmY
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