Minsk City Executive Committee

On 15 June Acting Chairman of Minsk City Executive Committee Nikolai Ladutko had a meeting with a delegation of Sendai University (Japan) headed by the Rector of the University Mr. Hozava Taiji. The delegation consisted of representatives of the University rhythmic gymnastics team and their coach – Maria Makarova from Belarus.

During the meeting Nikolai Ladutko stressed that the development of sister-city relationship between Minsk and Sendai which will be 40 years old in 2013 would continue.

"The fact that our athletes have possibility to hold joint training in rhythmic gymnastics in Minsk is great luck for us", said head of the Japanese delegation Mr. Hozava Taiji.

The bilateral relations between the cities of Minsk and Sendai began to establish in 1972, and in April 1973 the city of Minsk was visited by the Sendai delegation headed by the Mayor of the city Mr. Takeshi Shimano. During the visit a joint communiqué was signed. In 2001 the public garden that is located along Myasnikov Street, near the Belarusian State Musical Theatre, was named after the sister-city of Sendai – "Sendai Square". On 13 September 2002 there was an official ceremony of opening of "The Clock of Friendship" in Sendai Square. The clock was donated to the inhabitants of Minsk by the residents of Sendai.