Former Mayor Jim Brainard of Carmel, along with the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Latvia to the State of Indiana, Andris Berzins, are excited to announce that Carmel will be formalizing a sister-city partnership with Jelgava, Latvia. This will be Carmel’s first sister-city in Europe and Jelgava’s first sister-city in the United States.

The agreement between former Mayor Jim Brainard and Mayor Andris Ravins of Jelgava was facilitated by the Latvian Ambassador to the United States, Maris Selga, during his visit to Carmel in October of 2021. The mayors will be exploring opportunities to establish closer ties between the cities in such areas as education, culture, business, and public services. There will also be official visits between city delegations as well as special ceremonies in both Carmel and Jelgava to commemorate the signing of the formal agreements.

At the request of former Mayor Brainard, Andris Berzins will serve as the Chairperson for the Carmel – Jelgava Sister-City committee, and he will work in collaboration with his counterpart, Anna Zarina, Jelgava’s External and Foreign Relations officer, as the process moves forward.

This partnership also comes at a very important and pivotal time in our lives and in history where the support for freedom and democracy in the world is under siege. International relationship building, such as the sister-city program, is a key to mutual understanding and peace throughout the world and for generations to come.

The partnership will be supported locally by Peter Kirkwood, Chief of Protocol at The International Center, who also serves as the Indiana state representative for Sister Cities International.

Future announcements regarding Carmel and Jelgava’s sister-city partnership will be forthcoming as we move forward on various initiatives. We are also inviting all residents of Carmel and Jelgava as well as friends in the United States and Latvia to follow the Carmel & Jelgava Sister Cities Facebook page as we introduce the residents of both cities to one another and learn more about the rich history and culture of these beautiful cities and build relationships and friendships that will last for a lifetime and beyond.

If you have an interest in volunteering or learning more about various opportunities to get involved, please contact Andris Berzins at 317-652-1781, or Carmel-Jelgava@indy.rr.com.