Support The Moscow Times!

Italian Media: Milan Suspends Sister City Status With St. Pete

Authorities in the Italian city of Milan have decided to suspend their sister city agreement with St. Petersburg, and Venice and Turin are likely to follow suit, news reports said.

Citing Italian media, online news portal Fontanka.ru said that Milan's city council took the decision on Nov. 23 in response to St. Petersburg lawmakers banning homosexual propaganda among minors.

But St. Petersburg's External Relations Committee quickly moved to deny the reports, issuing a statement describing talk of a rupture between the two cities as "unreliable" and saying that they would request an official explanation from Milan.

Milan's LGBT community first brought to the attention of the city's governing council the perceived violation of sexual minorities' rights in St. Petersburg in March, Fontanka.ru reported.

In response, local lawmaker Marco Cappato proposed tearing up Milan's sister city agreement with St. Petersburg, and members of the city council overwhelmingly voted in favor of the move, the St. Petersburg-based portal said.

In an interview with RIA-Novosti, the author of St. Petersburg's controversial anti-gay legislation, United Russia lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, blamed the move on "socialists" and called European colleagues "a gay lobby."

Critics of the legislation, which was passed in February and reflects the enduringly conservative nature of Russian society, say its wording is vague and open to abuse. Milan is one of the few Italian cities where same-sex marriages are allowed.

Related articles:

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more