Maui Mayor Proclaims Prague Friendship City Day

Mayor Alan Arakawa proclaimed Friday, Feb. 16, 2018 to be “Praha 1, Prague Friendship City Day” throughout Maui County, in honor of the official Prague delegation’s recent visit to Maui.

PC: County of Maui/Ryan Piros

The Prague delegation included Honorable Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Praha 1, Prague, Czech Republic, Mrs. Veronika Blazkova, Dr. Alan Krautstengl, President Emeritus of Anglo-American University, and his daughter, Stefanie Krautstenglova.

Back in September 2016, Krautstengl visited Maui to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Hawaiʻi to cooperate on education and cultural exchange programs. Subsequently, on Oct. 24, 2017, while in Prague, Arakawa and Lomecký executed a Friendship City Agreement.

Witnessing this occasion were Maui County Sister Cities Foundation Chair Tiffany Iida and her daughter Victoria, as well as University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges International Education Director Deborah Nakagawa and her husband Dean.

“As UH Maui College has a great partnership with Anglo-American University in Prague, Chancellor Lui Hokoana encouraged Maui County to further cultivate cultural and educational relations as well as economic opportunity development,” said Iida.

“Maui County is grateful to Mayor Lomecký and Dr. Krautstengl for their interest in Maui County and for helping to raise awareness of global issues, build and strength bridges of mutual understanding and respect, and promote economic development,” said Arakawa.