Delhi govt, FPG agreement extended for 3 years (Lead)

New Delhi, Nov 20 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday met a 35-member delegation from Japans Fukuoka Prefectural Government (FPG) at the Secretariat.

Led by Vice Governor Akie Omagari, the delegation visited Delhi to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the twinning agreement between the Delhi government and the Fukuoka Prefectural Government (FPG).

This agreement, first signed on March 5, 2007 was extended until March 31, 2026.

The collaboration between the FPG and the Delhi government has focused on various areas of mutual cooperation, primarily encompassing the environment, culture, tourism, heritage, education, and youth exchange.

Over the past 15 years, both cities have engaged in various activities in art and cultural exchanges, environmental technology, and student/youth exchange programs.

The agreement also aims to explore possibilities in the areas of environment-related major issues today.

Consequently, theres a possibility of involvement not only with school students but also with cultural groups as a result of this agreement.

The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the influence of Indian Culture, particularly through Buddhism, has left an indelible mark on Japanese society, fostering a genuine sense of closeness among the Japanese people toward India in general and the people of Delhi in particular.

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Delhi and FPG have had a Friendship Agreement since March 5, 2007 and now this agreement has been strengthened for a further period of three years.

Vice Governor Fukuoka Prefectural Government Akie Omagari said that the initiative has happened after the friendship agreement thats been extended between the Fukuoka Prefectural Government and the Government of Delhi, since March 2007.

She said that since then the cooperation between both the cities has been happening in the fields of Environment, Art and Culture and recently in the field of education.

She said that in 2018, in the MoU, culture, tourism, and cultural heritage prevention have also been added and there have been expert visits from both sides and we have been sharing knowledge

She said that in the field of environment, so far 24 experts have visited from Fukuoka and they have also gone through a training program International Environment Expert Training Program.

ssh/dan