The twin cities of Brovary and Erlangen continue to actively cooperate, strengthening ties between communities even in times of war. During an online meeting, Brovary Mayor Ihor Sapozhko and representatives of the German sister city of Erlangen discussed key issues of assistance and partnership development, a correspondent of UNN reports.
Dialogue between cities: mutual support and future plans
Ihor Sapozhko, Mayor of Brovary, started the meeting with words of gratitude and expressed hope that the cooperation between the communities would continue in the future: "I hope that our meetings will continue in the future." He emphasized the importance of the assistance the community receives: "Thank you for the cooperation we have, because you have helped us quite a lot. These are the things that we critically need.
For his part, the mayor of Erlangen, Florian Janik, emphasized that the city continues to support Ukraine and Brovary. "Not only I, but the entire population sincerely supports Ukraine and understands our needs. The willingness to help is very high," said the mayor of Erlangen.
Ihor Sapozhko added that the partnership between the cities has not only a practical but also a moral dimension: "Our cooperation, our friendship is a development and a vocation, not just development between communities.
The mayor of Brovary also told his colleagues about the security situation in the community, including the consequences of the shelling of Brovary by the Russian army.
The parties also discussed assistance to internally displaced persons. "Today, we have 22.5 thousand people who, unfortunately, have already lost their homes in the country," said Igor Sapozhko.
Florian Janik emphasized the activity of Erlangen residents in raising funds to help the Brovary community. "There are a lot of people who are ready to do various actions in support. And it's not just fundraising, which takes place on a regular basis and is transferred to Ukraine. People are offering help on their own at different levels," he said.
Ihor Sapozhko promised to prepare a list of needs that the community currently has. As for educational cooperation, he added: "Schools constantly need help. Unfortunately, we study in such a way that we constantly need shelter. This includes furnishing and personal support of students from each other. I would like our children to tell and show what is happening here, because the war is a terrible story that we are going through today. This communication with schools and educational institutions is important to us, so we will definitely identify the appropriate institutions that will be happy to communicate with the children of Erlangen.
The issue of transportation was also raised. According to the mayor of Brovary, the community needs several buses, even those used to open a city route.
Believe me, all the assistance provided by Erlangen was really significant and extremely necessary. And at that difficult moment, when there were certain problems with the possibility of financing, or with power outages, or with the work of utilities, what we received enabled us to function and work. Therefore, our community is grateful to the city of Erlangen and its residents for not standing aside from our problems. And this cooperation is necessary for our population to know each other, to be aware of the situation and, in principle, to develop friendship
The parties expressed hope that in May this year, a delegation from Erlangen will be able to visit the Brovary community.
Ukrainian-German cooperation: a strategic partnership
Cooperation between Brovary and Erlangen began in the summer of 2022 with a video meeting of community representatives. Erlangen has received more than 1600 refugees from Ukraine, including residents of Brovary.
One of the first major projects was the purchase of medical equipment for the hospital worth over UAH 3.9 million. In 2023, the community received 9 units of specialized equipment, including resuscitation vehicles and fire trucks.
In addition to humanitarian aid, cultural exchange is also developing. A number of educational initiatives have been organized, including photo exchanges between schoolchildren and joint sports events.
The utility sector is also in the spotlight. In August 2023, an online meeting was held between representatives of water supply companies from both cities, which was the first step towards technical cooperation.
Thus, the partnership between the cities continues to develop and bring concrete results in various areas of community life.