San Francisco and Bangalore, India, are officially sister cities, after Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief Minister for Karnataka State, the Honorable B.S. Yeddyurappa, met and signed the Memorandum of Understanding, the mayor's office announced Tuesday.
The two leaders, along with other government and business officials met via videoconference Monday to officially finalize the relationship.
San Francisco and Bangalore have pursued a Sister City relationship for over 2 1/2 years.
The agreement will strengthen ties between two cities that are considered leaders in biotechnology, medical technology and digital technology, and maintain major cultural, business and education centers, according to the mayor's office.
The memorandum promotes greater cultural understanding, infrastructure development, economy investment, university and research exchanges, "best practices" sharing, tourism development, and information exchange.
"Bangalore and San Francisco have emerged as world hubs in the fields of information technology, bio-tech/life sciences and other cutting-edge industries," said Mayor Newsom in a statement. "Today, the majority of the world's people live in cities. There are tremendous opportunities to share expertise and work together towards a sustainable urban future."
The signing was the first time a sister city signing has occurred via videoconference, which is in itself demonstrative of the innovative and technologically advanced spirits of both cities.
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Bangalore is San Francisco's 15th Sister City, the first created under Newsom's administration.
