Nutter sets out to visit two sister cities

Mayor Nutter was set to depart Tuesday night for a six-day trade mission to Germany and Israel, to encourage companies there to do business in Philadelphia and local firms to expand into those foreign markets.

He was scheduled to fly first to Frankfurt and sign a sister-city agreement.

"I think there's a synergy between and among our cities. There's a very strong German American community here in Philadelphia, one of the first that was settled in the United States," Nutter said in brief remarks at City Hall before departing.

The sister-city agreement will further opportunities for business, culture, the arts, and student exchanges, Nutter said.

His other stop is Tel Aviv, which signed a sister-city agreement with Philadelphia in 1997.

Nutter said he visited the city in 2013, and "that mission to Tel Aviv resulted in an economic summit here in Philadelphia last October. We are now working with five companies who are looking for U.S. presence and have decided that they want to expand their companies in the city of Philadelphia."

Representatives from those companies "will be with us in Tel Aviv for a second round talking with new potential businesses for Philadelphia, for Pennsylvania, for America," Nutter said.

"Tel Aviv is not only a sister city, but issues of pharmaceuticals, technology, life sciences, and energy efficiency, again, are all strengths for both of our cities. So it's a very exciting time for us," he said.

Nutter is scheduled to return Monday.

215-854-5983

@RobertMoran215