www.telegraph.co.uk By Richard Savill and Andrew Mourant The towns of Trowbridge in Wiltshire and Oujda in Morocco seem an unlikely partnership.
The population of Trowbridge, an ancient market town, is less than 40,000 with an economy once built on producing beer and pork pies.
Oujda, a provincial capital in the north east of Morocco near the Algerian border, is 10 times bigger.
But last week Trowbridge council agreed to support a charter twinning the towns. It was believed to be the first time a town in Britain has formed a partnership with a Muslim Arab country.
Trowbridge, the county town, has been home to Moroccan economic migrants for 40 years. It has one of the largest Moroccan populations outside London, most with roots in Oujda.
Andrew Murrison, the local Conservative MP and vice chairman of the parliamentary all-party Morocco group, said: "If we want Muslim states to be Western-leaning and not to fall in to the hands of extremism, we need to foster close relationships. The Moroccan population in Trowbridge is well assimilated."
Mr Murrison, who helped set up the arrangement, said he believed educational, commercial and cultural links would develop. Dignitaries from Oujda have already visited local sights and industry.
Oujda, which is off the familiar tourist trail, has a mixed economy, agricultural and industrial. A major rail and road junction and trade centre, it also has two universities.
The formalities of twinning are due to completed soon. One of the first events planned is an under 15s football match between the towns. |