The Deputy Mayor of the City of Dubrovnik, Jelka Tepšić, and the Executive Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival, Colleen Bailey, signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak Festival in Monterey. Dubrovnik and Monterey have been sister cities since 2007. 

The Dubrovnik Jazz Festival, which is celebrating its fourth edition this November, has already established itself as a significant musical event. On the other hand, the Monterey Jazz Festival holds the distinction of being the longest-running jazz festival in the world and represents one of the key cultural attractions of Monterey. The memorandum opens the door for musician exchanges and the creation of new initiatives in the future, marking an important step forward in the development of relations between Dubrovnik and Monterey in the field of arts and culture.

- As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the partnership charter, we are proud to have such a great partner city as Monterey. We believe that this agreement will provide a significant boost to the development of Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak and the promotion of Croatian and Dubrovnik jazz musicians, for which we are especially happy."

During the event, as part of the musical program, saxophonist and composer Ivan Bonačić, also the artistic director of Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak, performed alongside Christian Sands, the American pianist nominated for a Grammy, and the Monterey Jazz Festival Regional All-Stars Band.

During the official meeting with the representatives of the City of Monterey, Mayor Tyller Williamson and Administrator Hans Uslar expressed their satisfaction with the new form of cooperation between the two cities, whose friendship has already resulted in the internationally recognized sports-tourism event Du Motion, as the Dubrovnik Half Marathon was a direct product of the collaboration between Monterey and Dubrovnik. The Dubrovnik delegation also attended the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, where the Du Motion team participated this year as well.

While in Monterey, the Dubrovnik delegation also held a meeting with the company See Monterey, during which Deputy Mayor Tepšić presented the "Respect the City" sustainable tourism project to President and Executive Director Rob O'Keefe, highlighting the City’s successes and its partners in managing the most prominent sector of the economy.

The representatives of the City of Dubrovnik also met with members of the Slavic American Cultural Organization (SACO), with whom they are running a successful student and pupil exchange program.