Highlights from the International Mayors Summit in Moldova: Support for Ukraine During the War and International Investments for the Post-War Reconstruction of Our Country

Previously, the International Mayors Summit was held in Ukraine. Due to the full-scale invasion, Moldova is hosting the meeting. The summit was opened by President Maia Sandu. In total, the Summit was attended by about 400 representatives of various cities from Ukraine and Europe.

The theme of this year's Summit is building sustainable communities through innovation and cooperation. Deputy Mayor Ihor Otkydach said that the summit discussed the Green Deal, alternative power sources, installation of solar panels, the possibility of attracting international investment, post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, and digitalization.

The Summit recognized cities for establishing partnerships. In particular, Vinnytsia and Karlsruhe. The twinning agreement was signed on April 22, 2023, in Karlsruhe, and the mayors of both cities signed the corresponding document in Vinnytsia on May 19, 2023. At the initiative of Karlsruhe, a twinning agreement was signed with Nancy, followed by an agreement on trilateral cooperation between the cities.

Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov and Karlsruhe Mayor Frank Mentrup delivered video addresses at the Summit. In his video address, Serhii Morhunov emphasized the importance of establishing friendly relations with other cities and noted how valuable the support and assistance of partners is in a difficult time for Ukraine.

"The International Mayors Summit is an important diplomatic event. Such events allow us to talk about issues that are relevant to Ukraine on behalf of communities. It is important that Vinnytsia was represented there. On behalf of our city, I expressed my gratitude to my colleagues for recognizing the cooperation with the German sister city of Karlsruhe. I am convinced that together we can do more," said Deputy Mayor Ihor Otkydach, who represented our city at the Summit.

Frank Mentrup, the Mayor of Karlsruhe, said in his video address that it is hard to imagine the future of Europe without Ukraine. He also recalled how the cooperation between Karlsruhe and Vinnytsia had developed and emphasized that the partnership was now established in various areas: between municipalities, educational institutions, medical institutions, etc. Frank Mentrup noted that our cities will continue to cooperate fruitfully in the future.