Prime Minister Welcomes Montreal-Milan Exhibit

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today noted with satisfaction the announcement by the Mayor of Milan, Dr. Gabriele Albertini, that Milan will host the Montreal design exhibit entitled "Montreal 5" in April of 1999.

This exhibit gathers selected works by the first five winners (1992-93-94-95-96) of the Montreal Designer of the Year Award granted annually by the city of Montreal in collaboration with the Montreal International Interior Design Show. The exhibit will take place in the Sala Viscontea of the Castello Sforzesco in the centre of Milan.

The Mayor also announced that Milan would participate in a joint technical committee preparing a much larger design show proposed for the year 2000 which would showcase 100 exhibits representing all aspects of Montreal design from architecture, furniture, accessories, interior design, graphic design, multimedia, and fashion.

The Prime Minister and the Mayor also agreed that the creation of direct air service connections between Milan and Canada would be a welcome measure to support and enhance commercial and cultural flows between the two economies.

The Mayor of Milan will shortly submit the twinning agreement signed with the City of Montreal to the Municipal Council for ratification. The Prime Minister welcomed such a step which will formalize the official twinning of these two dynamic cities.

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