The importance of international friendship was stressed this week by the chairman of the Banbury Twinning Association - just 24 hours after Britain and America launched their war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
Ron Barnett was speaking at the presentation of a plaque to commemorate 20 years of civic links between Banbury and the German town Hennef.
Next year Banbury will celebrate two decades of being twinned with Ermont in France.
Twinning between towns in Europe began after the Second World War. The aim was to develop understanding between the people of different countries.
One of the oldest UK twinning arrangements is between Oxford and Leiden - a link that was formed just after the Second World War.
Mr Barnett said: "In the light of currentevents, there is as much need now for twinning as there was in the 1940s.
"Perhaps more than ever, there is the need for people of different nationalities to get to know and understand each other." Mr Barnett was at Banbury Town Hall on Monday to present the plaque to Cllr Vine.
The plaque was brought to Banbury in April by a group from Hennef.
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