International relations: Nantes and Seattle, 40 years of economic and cultural collaboration

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A delegation of companies and officials from Nantes and Atlantic France will travel to Seattle, USA, from the 10th to the 15th of April 2022. For 40 years, the sister cities have been developing a successful multi-field partnership across the Atlantic.

Home to major stakeholders such as Boeing, Starbucks, Microsoft and Amazon, Seattle is a dynamic city located at the heart of Washington State. Twinned with Nantes since the 6th of September 1980, Seattle is at the crossroads of exchanges between the USA and Atlantic France.

40 years of an innovative and creative relationship with a wealth of cultural, educational and economic achievements that inspires our fellow residents, and provides them with experiences and a window into other ways of doing things, but also elevates our shared values. […] Our cities are places of experimentation and knowledge, as well as incubators of creativity. They can be a driving force for innovation in many fields.

Excerpts from the joint declaration published for the 40th anniversary of twinning

A learning expedition in Seattle in April

Representatives of public and private bodies from Atlantic France and Nantes will travel to Seattle for a week. The trip has been co-organised with the Atlantic France region, which has also forged strong ties with the State of Washington since the Regional Council President’s visit to Seattle in 2019 (accompanied by the EMC2 competitiveness cluster).

The objectives are to reinforce the links between the sister cities, get inspired, develop new partnerships with US players, but also to promote our sectors of excellence such as aeronautics, shipbuilding and marine renewables, logistics and supply chain, industry 4.0, etc.

The members of the delegation will have the opportunity to make inspiring visits and forge new partnerships by following one of the three established programs: institutional and cultural, maritime or aviation. They will also be attending the A&DSS international show (Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit) which will take place in Seattle from the 11th to the 13th of April.

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