Panaji mayor wants 'sister city relationship' with Lisbon

The city mayor has mooted an idea of having a 'sister city relationship' between Panaji and Lisbon, in a bid to ease the process of issuing visas, specially for students who want to study in Portugal.
Surendra Furtado, the mayor of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP), hosted Consul General of Portugal, Francisco Durate Azavedo, at his office here this morning where he put forth the proposal.
"I have been discussing with most of the Portuguese counsel generals that we should have sister city relations between Panaji and Lisbon," Furtado told reporters after meeting the Consul General.
"A lot of our students want to go abroad for studies. They are facing difficulties in getting visas and admission in those universities. If the CCP could be of any help or assistance, let our young boys and girls get the facility," he said.

A sister city relationship is a long-term, cooperative relationship between two cities in different countries through which cultural, educational, business and technical exchanges take place.
Goa was a Portuguese colony for around 450 years before it was liberated in 1961.
Furtado said both the countries should look forward to a brighter future and cooperate with each other.
"We have to forget the past and move on. The world is changing. We must forget about the past and start something new if we have to improve quality of life," he said.