Yogya, Savannah forge ties

YOGYAKARTA: Yogyakarta Mayor Herry Zudanto and the mayor of Savannah, Georgia, Michael Brown, signed an 18-month cooperation pact to develop the quality of public services in both cities.

A memorandum of understanding on the cooperation was signed last Thursday by Herry and Brown in Yogyakarta during a ceremony attended by U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce.

"These two cities from opposite sides of the world have come together to seek a global solution to local problems," Boyce said during the ceremony.

Also present were Yogyakarta Deputy Major Sukri Fadholi and the speaker of the city's legislative council, Bahtanisar Baasyir.

Under the agreement, the two cities emphasized their desire to encourage and develop tourism, including exchanges to protect and preserve the cities' unique and historical sites.

The agreement between Yogyakarta and Savannah is the ninth partnership under the Indonesian Resource Cities program developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International City/County Management Association.

Herry said Yogyakarta could learn much from Savannah's years of experience in decentralization.

"We will take away many benefits from this partnership," he said. --JP