Helena, Montana becomes sister city of Stepanavan
As of July 15, Helena is officially sister cities with Stepanavan, a town in the Lori Marz province, Republic of Armenia.
The sister relationship, approved by the Helena City Commission, was born out of a democracy forum Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins attended in June. He and other American mayors traveled to Armenia to teach about U.S.-style government.
Collins specifically worked with Stepanavan’s Mayor Armen Grigoryan on transparency.
The right to know what your government is meeting about and when isn’t guaranteed everywhere. Collins explained to Grigoryan that transparency builds trust and interdependence with the citizens of a town.
While there were differences, both Collins and Grigoryan saw a lot of potential in learning about each other’s way of governing.
Collins plans to invite Grigoryan and his team to shadow Helena’s city operations. Beyond transparency, tourism is at the top of Collins’ list.
There is a rich beauty in Stepanavan’s history and culture, Collins said. However, he didn’t see many other tourists there to appreciate it.
In exchange, Collins would like to learn about Stepanavan’s historic preservation. Stepanavan has maintained the home of its founding namesake, which stood out to Collins.
When Grigoryan comes, Collins also plans to show him around Helena, thinking of the Last Chance Tour Train and local hiking spots. On the trip to Armenia, Collins and Grigoryan discovered they were both avid fishermen.
“This is the beginning of a friendship,” Collins said. “We are the same. We just come from different circumstances.”
Helena is also a sister-city to Isla Mujeres in Mexico, and Montana is a sister-state to Kumamoto, Japan. There is also interest in a sister relationship between Carroll College and an Armenian university, Collins said.
Christine Compton is a city reporter for the Helena Independent Record.
