Sterling Heights City Council adopts resolution to create sister city agreement with Ankawa, Iraq

The Sterling Heights City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to establish a Sister City agreement with Ankawa, Iraq at its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 20. Sister City agreements are meant to be long-term partnerships that foster an environment in which economic and community development can be implemented and strengthened. This historic partnership aims to foster cultural exchange, economic collaboration, and mutual understanding between the two cities. The Sister City agreement was initiated by Chaldean Community Foundation President Martin Manna and Ankawa Mayor Ramy Noori Awdish as an opportunity to connect the two cities to promote commerce and Chaldean culture.

Located in the Kurdistan Region, an autonomous administrative entity within the Republic of Iraq, Ankawa is a vibrant city known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly as a center for the Assyrian Christian community. Ankawa has a population of 65,000, 90% of which are Chaldean. Sterling Heights, home to a significant population of Chaldean residents with roots in Ankawa, sees this partnership as a unique opportunity to strengthen ties with the city and celebrate the shared heritage of its citizens.

The Sister City agreement will include a variety of initiatives designed to promote educational exchanges, cultural events, business collaborations, and municipal partnerships. Through these efforts, both cities hope to create lasting bonds that will benefit their residents and contribute to global thinking and understanding.

"We are thrilled to formalize our relationship with Ankawa, a city that holds deep significance for many of our residents," said Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. "This Sister City agreement is more than just a symbolic gesture; it is a commitment to working together to build bridges of friendship and cooperation that will enrich both communities. We're excited to learn and grow together, and the first step is this Sister City partnership."

The resolution comes after months of discussions between community leaders in Sterling Heights and representatives from Ankawa. The next steps will involve the formation of a project team that will lay out a roadmap for the sharing of knowledge in culture, business and education as well as working toward building out a curriculum assessment and teacher exchange program along with remote learning opportunities at the college level to ensure students and teachers have the ability to give and receive unique experiences and perspectives.

"We look forward to inviting a delegation from Ankawa to visit Sterling Heights in the near future, hopefully during our annual Cultural Exchange event in the spring where we'll be highlighting Ankawa's rich cultural heritage for hundreds of residents as well as showing off our beautiful community," said Taylor. "In turn, I hope at some point we can send a delegation from Sterling Heights to Ankawa to learn more about their city, its residents and its business community, firsthand."

Since 1982, Sterling Heights has also forged past Sister City partnerships with Tetovo, Macedonia; Legazpi City, Philippines; Cassino, Italy; Sorsogon City, Philippines; Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, Italy; Shengjin, Albania and Jaffna, Sri Lanka.