Following the visit of the mayor of the German city Saarbrücken, the city decided to establish sister city relations with Tbilisi under the 'Crossroads' initiative. The reason was not disagreements over urban development but political considerations. Saarbrücken is a German city that recently suspended its official contacts with Tbilisi due to political reasons. The partnership was formally terminated, and the planned joint projects were canceled. However, the mayor of Tbilisi and the one from Saarbrücken maintain a personal friendship. Saarbrücken and Tbilisi have been sister cities since 1975, during the Cold War, when Georgia was part of the USSR, and West German cities sought to establish 'people's diplomacy' with the East. Over the decades, many exchanges, cultural projects, and joint events took place, with Tbilisi as the center of Saarbrücken's activities.