ShafaqNews- Moscow/ Baghdad
Proposalsto establish sister-city partnerships between Najaf and the Russian city ofBolgar, as well as between Basra and Kazan, emerged during the “Russia–IslamicWorld: Kazan 2026” forum on Wednesday.
The eventfocused on governance, transparency, and economic growth, while also examininginitiatives linked to public diplomacy and cultural exchange. It was attendedby former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who served from 2018 to 2020.
Duringthe forum, Ali Mohammed al-Barghash, head of the Russian House in Iraq,described the twinning initiatives as part of broader efforts to deepencultural and municipal cooperation between Iraq and Russia’s Republic ofTatarstan.
Sister-citypartnerships are agreements between cities in different countries designed tostrengthen cultural, economic, educational, and tourism ties through jointprojects and exchanges. Iraq already maintains several such partnerships,including ties between Baghdad and Tehran, as well as between Karbala and Qom. Other initiatives have included a proposed sister-city link between Swissmunicipalities and the ancient city of Babylon (Babil), which has yet to beformalized.
