The twinning of Saint Thomas and Saint Barthélemy has been officially confirmed

A signature, a handshake, smiles. On Tuesday, March 10, the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Albert Bryan Jr., and the president of the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy, Xavier Lédée, officially formalized the twinning agreement between Saint Thomas and Saint Barth. The signing ceremony took place following a working session at Government House in Saint Thomas.
“As I co-signed this document with Mr. Albert Bryan Jr., Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I felt a special emotion, given how strong the history between our two territories is,” said Xavier Lédée. “From now on, it will be up to each of us to bring this shared heritage to life.” ” The president of the Collectivité also made a point of highlighting the role played by Odile de Lyrot, former French consul, “who helped establish the necessary institutional link and supported the realization of this twinning.”
For its part, the government issued a brief online statement accompanied by several photographs. It mentions the presence of Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza A. Roach at the signing ceremony, which recognizes “the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic ties between Saint Barth and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” The post was notably shared by the French Heritage Museum in St. Thomas. A place of remembrance where local figures—often originally from Saint Barthélemy—are honored. Examples include Louis Charles Blanchard, born in 1936 in Saint Barth and who passed away in 2025 in Saint Thomas, and Gérald Fernando Gréaux Sr., born in 1951 and who passed away in 2022.
The historical and human ties between the two islands remain very strong, as Vianney Blanchard, president of the brand-new association Saint-Barth des Amis de Saint-Thomas (JSB 1652), likes to emphasize. Vianney Blanchard was also part of the trip to St. Thomas on March 10, along with Bettina Cointre (chair of the culture committee) and Cécile Coudreau (president of Ajoe).
The twinning is thus officially established. All that remains now is for the two islands to build collaborative bridges in various fields.