Hero-city minsk has become the 10th sister city of the capital of the Arctic.

- We are glad to welcome you in the land of Murmansk - appealed to members of the Belarusian delegation the mayor of the polar capital Alexey Weller. - I am sure, that established friendly relations between our cities will grow and develop.

The capital of the Kola Arctic cooperates with sister cities from around the world actively. Sister-city relations were established and developed as a sign of mutual sympathy of city citizens, as an example of the relationship between people relating with historical memory, respecting the traditions and culture of each other.
Friendly, neighbour relations established between Murmansk and his sister cities, allow realizing economic projects, establish business and professional contacts. But most commonly, the cooperation is carried out in the educational, cultural, social or sports spheres.

The city administration of Murmansk not only supports and develops the existing relationship, but also concludes new relations with the other cities. For example, February of this year Murmansk has got new sister-city, it’s Alanya (Turkey).

According to the words of the head of the Belarusian delegation, the Chairman of the Economy Committee of Minsk City Executive Committee Anton Krajewski, the establishment of sister-city relations between Murmansk and Minsk mean significant perspectives for cooperation and development of existing relations, simplifying search for partners, exchange of experience and implementation of cooperative projects.

In the capital of the Arctic the delegation expects a full program: in addition to the signing of the twinning agreement, it will be a series of meetings with business organizations, sight-seeing city tour with a visit to the memorial monuments, laying flowers to the memorial stones of Murmansk and Minsk. Also today in the framework of the visit the delegation will hold a ceremony transfer of the buses of Minsk Automobile Factory to Murmansk.
Related facts:

Strengthening of communication between Murmansk and Minsk is historically proved. Belarusians took part in building of the railway, which afterwards connected the Petrozavodsk and Romanov-on-Murman in 1914-1916, in the Soviet years many Belarusians served in our region, defended Murmansk during World War II, took part in the reconstruction of the city and the development of the Northern Sea Route .

Today Murmansk region ranks No. 7 among Russian regions according the number of Belarusians living here: in the Kola Peninsula their amount is about 12 thousand people. In Murmansk, according to the 2010 population census, just under 2% of the population of the city (about 5,000 people) were Belarusians, they took the third place in the ethnic composition of the population.
There are also non-governmental organizations of Belarus in Murmansk region. March 9, 1999 the union of the Belarusians of Murmansk region "Radzima" ("Motherland") was created, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

It is worth noting the close connection patronage of some regions of Belarus and the Northern Fleet, where there are a thousand ethnic Belarusians as soldiers.