Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko has reached out to Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen to discuss a twinning agreement between both cities to reinforce cooperation.
Based on a proposal from Kyiv, the city of Copenhagen’s economic affairs department has prepared a draft twinning agreement with the Ukrainian capital, making an exception to its typically restrictive stance on such agreements, of which it only has one with Beijing.
“Copenhagen stands together with Ukrainians and Kyiv. We have welcomed several thousand Ukrainians over the year and we are doing everything we can to help them through a difficult time,” said Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen.
“It is my hope that we can do even more for their war-torn homeland by helping to rebuild Kyiv. In this way, we can help from one capital to another, and we can bring our people even closer together”, she added.
According to the press release, the City of Copenhagen is looking into the possibility of sending staff to Kyiv to help with reconstruction through know-how, construction advice, and urban development and planning. Concrete needs will be discussed with Kyiv at a later date.
For the agreement to become reality, it must be formally approved by Kyiv and endorsed by the Copenhagen City Council. Initially, the agreement is expected to be for a three-year period.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the country has left a mark on Copenhagen, where a number of Ukrainians live.
In addition to helping with accommodation and introduction to Danish society, the municipality also provides daycare and schooling facilities for Ukrainian children and helps Ukrainians find jobs.
(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
