On Wednesday, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and Rueil-Malmaison Mayor Patrick Ollier signed an official Memorandum of Understanding establishing a formal sister city partnership between Carmel and Rueil-Malmaison, France.
In addition to serving as Rueil’s Mayor, Ollier is President of the Metropolis of Greater Paris and he was also a National Assembly deputy for Hautes-Alpes’ 2nd constituency.
Rueil-Malmaison, or simply Rueil, is in the western suburbs, about 20 minutes from the center of Paris. It has a population of nearly 80,000 and is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Paris. Rueil is famous for the Château de Malmaison, home of Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.
Several major French companies have their world headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison, which has an extensive fiber optics network in its business district. Many large international companies have also located their French headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison.
“We are very excited to welcome Rueil-Malmaison, France, as Carmel’s sixth sister city, and we are looking forward to developing better relationships with its people and learning more about its history and culture,” Mayor Brainard said.
The City of Carmel will be forming this French sister city committee in the coming weeks. Please email Sharon Kibbe at skibbe@carmel.in.gov if you are interested in being a part of this group.