cisneros. we thank him for his strong support. as well come a department head, commissioners assembled. this is our 18th sister city. formally, our relationships go back to 1957. the idea behind sister cities began when then-president dwight eisenhower recognized we need to reconcile that there were agreed -- disagreement between nations coming out of world war ii and the best way to reconcile the disagreement was people to people that love to say. people, representing cities, perhaps could get it right. that is when the sisters to the movement began. hear, it began with our first

sister city in the osaka in 1957, 1st diplomatic relations between the u.s. and japan. we had the privilege of being there is a couple of years back to celebrate the 50th anniversary. if you walk into the international room, you will see that the mayor from a sock and had not been enlarged robot celebrating the 50th anniversary. since then, 17 others have been established. this is number 18. we recently celebrated some significant milestones. 38th anniversary of our shanghai sister city. that was a significant moment, in terms of the relationship, again not just our two cities, but both countries. the first formal relations between the two countries were formed through that sister city

bond. we had the opportunity to go to !bed alarm as our first trip bak there. we established a sister region between bangalore and the san francisco area. there was a delegation of leaders who went back there. obviously connected to china and asia. we felt like it needed to incorporate india. that brings us here, this 18th finding of a sister city that celebrates the contribution and connection between spain and the that it states, between the seven tesco bay area, and the region around barcelona. we of blessed to have a lot of similarities in terms of our respective cities.

notably, commitment to economic empowerment, innovation, well- established and informed through biotech, life sciences, nano tech, green tech. of course, spain has made its own contributions to that effort. we are also looking to creating a framework behind digital media and digital parts. -- arts. we also hope to be celebrating the artistic contributions of 10 individuals and our city. that is what a sister city relationship is about. framing it in a formal manner, and a way that transcends what you see here, and provide an institutional framework that will allow people, 30, 40, 50

years later, to continue celebrating and commemorate this moment. the celebration, if successful, 50 years from now, whoever the mayor may be -- he or she will be here celebrating the 50th anniversary. their respective parties, many of us will be around saying, i remember when -- thank you in advance for being good stewards. these sister cities are not only the vibrant cities, a robust, contributing as they should, but most are, and we are proud of that. that is the commitment of the sister city committee. it is my hope and expectation and certainly my belief that there arthis will be a robust ad

meaningful sister city. i have done only four and six years. i have done only four to make sure that there is a real commitment behind them. there is nothing worse than making false promises. i have a good feeling here. there was a commitment from the committee formed with the council's general. so i have great hope and expectation that this will be a successful sister city. congratulations, thank you. i will bring charlotte back and leave the continue with the ceremony. his signature as well as our signature will affects this sister city relationship. [applause] >> thank you. you said we were alike in many

ways. how about our soccer? >> i do not want to talk about that. >> the counsel of general said that you have not got much work done there. congratulations. supervisor, the mayor has said many nice things about you, with -- which are worth it. you have shepherded us through that process, said it would be an honor to introduce you. supervisor campos. >> good morning, everyone. i do not know how to speak in catalan so i will speak to spanish. thank you for everyone for the work that you have done. i appreciate the fact that throughout this process the mayor has made it clear if we are going to have a sister city relationship with any city, it

needs to be meaningful, not in name only. in these economic times, it makes sense for cities like san francisco to reach out to places like barcelona. if you look at the history of what has happened between not just the cities of barcelona and san francisco, and the region of catalonia and san francisco, it makes sense. we established a region sister russia shed with the region of catalonia. i want to thank the group freinds of gaspart. the president of the organization could not be here but they have been trying to foster relationships, not just between san francisco and barcelona, but the entire region. the mere talk about the commonalities, the economic ties. there are many other ties. there are works between the

museums in barcelona and the de jong. there are talks about the universities in barcelona with ours. sharing production with the our pride in barcelona. there are many examples of that nature. but something that is special to me, as a gay man, and i see my partner in the audience -- is the commitment to civil rights and the very special committee that that barcelona has played to the lgbt community. those of you who watched the movie "milk" remember the same how there was a protest in barcelona in the days of franco inspiring activists like harvey milk to say that we will be treated equally. that connection has been in place for decades. when i visited barcelona, i was

impressed by what harvey milk means to the lgbt community in barcelona. that is something that is really special. spain, barcelona have had same- sex marriage for a number of years now. and the world has not come to an end. those cities are arriving. that region is driving. it shows you that you can be committed to civil rights, equality, and that commitment to add flights to something very positive. i think it makes sense, that someone like mayor newsom who has led the way, it is joining up with a city that has been doing it right for so long. i want you to know, in barcelona, many people see you as a good political leader for what you have done. now let me introduce to you someone from spain, someone who

played an important role in city hall, in barcelona, his job as a counselor of international relations is to represent the city of barcelona throughout the world. ignacio? >> good morning. i will set a couple of words in catalan the end of the speech. mayor newsom, officials, it is a great honor to share this moment with you. on behalf of the mayor of barcelona, i would like to say this ceremony is very important and emotional for every citizen in barcelona. we share a path on certain routes. hispanic history that we can see.

we admire san francisco day. during the last century's, barcelona and san francisco were considered harbor cities. for many decades we have been receiving populations from many different countries. you are in western get me to the united states and we are the capital for the in mediterranean region. we are both seen as open cities, for many european cities the word of san francisco for barcelona means open minded cities. this is important for us. we have many things in common in the past but also the present. we have read some of your economic proposals, like mission bay, similar to some of our high-tech projects in barcelona. i want to express our

gratitude, mayor newsom, for your projects that you have introduced. as well, above all, i hope this ceremony is a commitment for a good relationship. we have many things to share, compared, learn together. in our agreement, we mentioned civil rights, transfer, education, art, and many other things. i hope that started the day we could consolidate new levels of cooperation and develop them. let me add my -- and by the mayor of said the disco and every other official to visit barcelona. i am sure that our cities can grow and learn together. today, it is a great honor for us to be here. thank you, mr. newsom for your hospitality. [speaking catalan]

we have another sister city like you, mr. mayor. [speaking catalan] thank you very much to everybody. congratulations. [applause] >> thank you. as mayor newsom said, we have supervisor bevan dufty. i also want to the knowledge and member of the other supervisors wanted to be here today but there are stuck in a committee meeting. i know that many others wanted

to be here as well. next i want to introduce the man who represents the country of spain, here in tampa disco, and of course we cannot talk about spain without talking about the world cup. we are all excited about the victory, and thank you mayor newsom, to you and the rec and parks department for the work they did around the world cup. if you have the opportunity to watch the game in front of city hall, i have to point out, the man who scored the winning goal is someone who plays for the barcelona team. that is important. the council's general of spain. manuel pradas. >> i wore red for the spanish team. when we arrived for the first time in san francisco, they were

flabbergasted by the beauty of the unique and beautiful city that overlooks the san francisco bay. if i am told -- many times i am -- no wonder this is a city founded by spaniards. we know how to choose the right place. [laughter] as you know, back in the 17th century, spanish sailors explored the pacific ocean. together, we came with ideas and language. it is no surprise that many of the mountains, rivers, cities in california have spanish names. all spaniards gathered in city hall, many from catalonia, and from other regions in my country.

many of you here represent the foundation for the better relations between the united states and spain. the signing of this memorandum of understanding between the city of barcelona and san francisco marks the establishing of a new city partnership that aims to create new links between 10 francisco and the barcelona. and the path ahead that will allow us to widen our economic and trade relations. scientific and technical knowledge. better understanding for the mutual interest, not only of these two cities, but of our country. the date is the right time to recognize and honor the effort this project. the mayor of the city of san

francisco gavin newsom and his team, the mayor of barcelona and his team and all institutions and private citizens who helped make possible this relationship between san francisco and barcelona. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, mr. council in general. next to let me introduce someone who is very important. that is not just about establishing the sister city relationship, but making sure it is a meaningful one. that would not be possible without the work of the sister city committee. the president of that committee is here. she has been working diligently for the last few months. we are excited about the leadership that she will continue to provide. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thank you for being here.

it is an honor to have such key figures here today as we welcome the formal recognition of the sister city relationship between barcelona and san francisco, and what better timing than spain's recent victory in the world cup last week. back in history, the catalan region was home to an important figure, gaspart laportala. finally touching in the san francisco bay area after a 10- month journey. we now turn our sights to the advances in technology and transportation as we forge ahead

with our new sister city relationship. the committee has been formed. we lead efforts in streamlining sure of communication with our colleagues in barcelona and one of our first effort will be to lead the drive for direct flights between san francisco and the barcelona. transportation will be a key interplay between the two cities and san francisco looks forward to learning more about the high-speed train systems and learning about future space projects. further information sharing in business and technology and the areas of academia, a green tie, clean-cut, will be fostered and developed through these new lines of communication. san francisco and are still hold two of the largest gay communities in the world. we will do our effort to bring the two communities together to further their ideas and goals.

last but not least, the committee will play a significant role in the cultural and gastronomy exchanges, between the opera, symphony, art collections, and that made in food and wine to of both regions, both cities have much enthusiasm in building or bridges. we are pleased to be carrying on these endeavors. on the calf of our co-chair and committee, i want to thank the mayor's office of barcelona and san francisco, special thanks to david campos and his team for their leadership, and the foundation for their tireless efforts, and one last thing. my mother, god bless her soul, passed away two months ago. i had to leave my mother in iran and my original country to attend this. that would have wanted me to be

here to work on this. working on something i believe in. thank you and congratulations. >> thank you. [applause] it is now my honor to announce the memorandum of understanding between the city of san francisco and the barcelona will now be signed by -- mayor gavin newsom.

>> thank you, everyone for the leadership that helped to make this today -- make this happen today. we have some sparkling wine from spain. we have a present here. >> thank you. that is great. this is good.

[inaudible]

[applause] >> thank you all for being here. please stick around and enjoy the morning. take the rest of the day off, right, mayor? there is really, only one boy... one girl... one tree... one forest... one ocean... one mountain... one sky... and one simple way to care for it all. please visit earthshare.org

and learn how the world's leading environmental groups are working together under one name. earth share. one environment...

>> good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the asian pacific american heritage month celebration. please give another hand for the samoan community development center and the polynesian review for that performance. [applause] >> now you would like you to stand for the national anthem, which will be sung by san francisco's own 17-year-old singer. >> ♪ o say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last