A delegation from the City of Nice visited Haifa and Netanya in Israel from October 26 to 28, 2011, to participate in the 2nd Decentralized Cooperation Conference, organized by United Cities France, the association that brings together all the French twinned cities, and by the Union of Local Authorities in Israel.
The aim of these Conferences is to strengthen bilateral relations between decentralized municipalities and to promote cultural, social, and economic cooperation between twinned cities.
This participation allowed for the reaffirmation of friendship, cooperation, and concrete exchanges between Nice and these two Israeli cities.
Within the framework of these Conferences, Philippe Soussi reiterated the unwavering solidarity of the City of Nice towards the Israeli people, particularly highlighting the exemplary support of the Nice municipality for the release of the young Franco-Israeli Gilad Shalit.
At the conclusion of the discussions, the representatives of the two countries expressed a common will to expand the scope of exchanges to neighboring Arab and Palestinian cities, thereby promoting fruitful tripartite cooperation in favor of dialogue, solidarity, and Euro-Mediterranean rapprochement, particularly directed towards younger generations.
In line with the plans considered last June during Christian Estrosi’s official trip to Israel, the City of Haifa envisions organizing a “Nice Carnival” in its streets during the year 2012. Additionally, OGC Nice will be invited for a friendly match with Maccabi Netanya during the inauguration of the new Netanya stadium, scheduled for 2012.
