Fort Myers has new 'sister' in Belarus
Fort Myers has a new sister city that’s more than 5,600 miles away.
The city recently adopted a partnership with Gomel, the second largest city in Belarus, making them sister cities and opening the door to economic development.
Belarus, an eastern European country once part of the Soviet Union, has a complicated past. Even today, some critics call the presidential republic a dictatorship beset by corruption and human rights violations.
The judicial system, which lacks independence, is subject to political interference and bribery, say its detractors. Still, there are signs of progress.
Newsmaker Q&A with Ita Neymotin
Ita Neymotin, regional conflict counsel in the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel in Fort Myers, is from Kazakhstan, another former Soviet republic. She was a critical component in fostering the sister city pact, working as an intermediary between the two.
“Having escaped Soviet oppression as a child, I have always appreciated the superiority of our justice system of our country,” she wrote in response to emailed questions. “I have always believed that people remaining in the countries of the former Soviet Union deserve a better future and need to be encouraged by the forces of democracy in the world.”
One way to do this is to connect the two through business. Gomel was chosen for its size (population 515,000) and because it is part of a free enterprise zone.
Belarus took an important step in December by establishing an honorary consulate in Southwest Florida. It is in North Port, where there is a substantial Russian-speaking and Belarusian population.
It is also worth noting that Belarus is playing a key role in creating peace in Europe. A follow-up to the Minsk Protocol, known as Minsk II, was signed in the nation’s capital and adopted in February 2015. As part of that pact, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany agreed to measures to alleviate the ongoing war in the Donbass region of Ukraine.
Belarus’ exports to the United Sates include metal, fabric and lumber, Neymotin said, while the U.S. is a major supplier of internal combustion engines, automobiles, medical equipment and medicine to Belarus.
Members of the Belarus delegation that visited Fort Myers two weeks ago include owners of a steel and wood company.
“At this point there are real possibilities of business,” she said.
Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson said it remains to be seen what fruit the agreement might bear, but “you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
“In the symbolic sense, it sends the message we are an inclusive city and an inclusive country,” he said. “They see us very much that way.”
Henderson said it’s possible an opportunity for business relocation or other economic opportunities may arise.
While neither city knows what the future may hold, “this gets the dialogue going,” he said. “From here, we can see how things work out.”
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