Madrid Mayor Ana Botella and Miami's Tomas Regalado signed in the Spanish capital Monday a twin-town agreement, noting the historic, cultural and economic ties that bind them.

After signing the accord, the mayor of Madrid spoke of the "harmony, affection, common interests and deep economic and cultural ties, above all the Spanish language," which unite the two sister cities.

"We're united by language, by a common history, by culture and also by such an important value as freedom; not every country in the world can say that freedom is a society's most important value," Botella said.

For his part, Regalado recalled that the process of reaching this agreement began four years ago and said that being twin towns means "the beginning of a new stage in Miami's journey to becoming a global city."

Regalado also said that Miami is "the city that has most quickly recovered from the economic crisis in the United States and is the fastest growing city" in that country.

He added that the city is currently experiencing what some call "the second Spanish invasion in the last 500 years," although, he said, "it's a good invasion." EFE