What’s happening: The City of Sterling Heights and its family of sister cities grows a little larger this week as it passes a resolution to form a Sister City partnership with Ankawa, Iraq. The partnership links the predominantly Chaldean city of Ankawa with Sterling Heights, a city where more than 20 percent of its population is estimated to be Chaldean.

What it is: Sister City partnerships link international cities through cultural, economic, and educational exchanges. In the United States, a Sister City partnership can often reflect the ethnic and immigrant populations of that city’s residents and business owners.

International partnerships: This is the first Sister City partnership that Sterling Heights has formed since 2016, when the Macomb County city partnered with Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The city’s first such partnership came together in 1982 with Tevoto of the Republic of Macedonia, and was followed by Legazpi City, Philippines (1999); Cassino, Italy (2006); Sorsogon City, Philippines (2007); Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, Italy (2010); and Shengjin, Albania (2013).

How it happened: The Sterling Heights-headquartered Chaldean Community Foundation first requested that Ankawa and Sterling Heights begin talks to become Sister Cities. The Sterling Heights Ethnic Community Committee helped facilitate communication between the two municipalities.

What they’re saying: In a video produced by SHTV, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael C. Taylor highlights the mutual benefits that the communities can share in their newfound partnership. “We look forward to signing this resolution,” he says, “and inviting a delegation from Ankawa to visit Sterling Heights in the near future.” The mayor goes on to say that Ankawa’s culture will be highlighted at the annual Cultural Exchange event in the spring of 2025.

Visit SHTV online to view the complete announcement.

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