The head of the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association says even though the partnership between the cities of Jacksonville, Florida and Murmansk, Russia has been ‘dormant’ since 2017, the preservation of their ‘sister city’ should be upheld.
“We are beyond government,” Brenda Frinks, president of the JSCA, said. “We are at the ground level of citizen diplomacy, one individual one community at a time. We are still friends with the Russian community here.
The site’s page about Murmansk was also updated with a disclaimer explaining: “This relationship has been dormant with Musmansk since 2017. All activities have centered around the Russian community members living in Jacksonville who support our Motto of Peace through People. No support has been sent to or received from Murmansk since 2017.”, discouraging members from suspending or canceling partnerships with Russian cities.