"sister cities"

Yes, this is true, they were sister cities, they won an award for all their accomplishments. Sister Cities International, is a Global Citizen Diplomacy Network. The program is working well. Pittsburgh has 17 Sister Cities. Sister City Directory. Check to see if your city is listed.
Picture from right to left Brent Kennedy, Nuri Ertan and Mayor C. Smith. Nuri was the mayor of Cseme.

Palatine to host Sister Cities Midwest Regional Conference in April

"This year, the Illinois Sister Cities Association is hosting the Midwest Regional Sister Cities Conference April 18-19, in Palatine. The purpose of the conference is to inform representatives from cities in a five state region of the opportunities to promote Dwight D. Eisenhower's "faith in the great promise of Sister City affiliations in helping build the solid structure of world peace." Created by Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities programs focus on four key themes: sustainable development, arts and culture, youth and education, and humanitarian assistance."