Larnaca and Manama signed a twinning agreement on Tuesday aimed at strengthening ties between the two cities and opening opportunities for cooperation in tourism, trade, investment, education and research.

The agreement was signed during a visit by a Larnaca municipality delegation to Bahrain.

Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras signed the agreement with Manama representative Aleya Yahya, director general of the Ministry of Local Government.

The ceremony included Bahrain’s Local Government Minister Wael bin Nasser Al-Mubarak and Capital Governor Sheikh Khalid bin Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

The agreement aims to foster cooperation among the cities’ business, academic and research sectors to establish enduring connections.

The visit focuses on boosting tourism, enhancing trade and investment, and exploring partnerships in shipping, technology and the blue economy.

The delegation emphasised Larnaca’s potential in research and higher education, particularly through the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute and the forthcoming School of Marine Sciences, Technology and Sustainable Development at the Cyprus University of Technology.

It includes municipal secretary Andreas Loukas, councillor Christina Evangelou, and spokeswoman Anastasia Kremmastou.

CMMI CEO Zacharias Siokouros also took part, alongside local business leaders: Antonis Orthodoxou of Orthodoxou Group, Vassilis Artemiou of Seven Property Group, and Paris Paraskeva.

The mission is accompanied by Cyprus ambassador to Bahrain Andreas Eliades.

Vyras said the signing marked the beginning of meaningful cooperation and should become more than a symbolic gesture.

“Our goal is for the twinning not to remain a symbolic act, but to transform into a real tool for development, extroversion and the creation of new opportunities,” he said.

The municipality said the agreement is part of a wider strategy to enhance Larnaca’s international profile, attract new partnerships, and foster development for the city and its residents.