Karlsruhe Is with Us on the Way to European Integration - Serhii Morhunov Following the Visit of the Delegation from the Sister City of Karlsruhe

The mayors of Vinnytsia and Karlsruhe, Serhii Morhunov and Frank Mentrup, held a briefing on the results of the working visit of the German guests. They focused on the main vectors of partnership between our twin cities and expectations from such bilateral cooperation.

Communication with local media representatives took place in the open air on Kosmonavtiv Avenue. However, despite the relaxed atmosphere and the busy schedule of the guests' stay in our city, the speakers did not feel tired. Instead, they expressed their readiness to continue to make every effort to deepen relations and strengthen cooperation.

It is worth reminding that this meeting was preceded by the signing of the Sister City Agreement between the two cities of Karlsruhe and Vinnytsia. It was also preceded by a series of consultations and negotiations during mutual visits of the delegations. The direct acquaintance with Vinnytsia and its residents, said Frank Mentrup, the Mayor of the German city, gave a huge emotional impetus.

"We are very impressed with your hospitality. And we are also impressed by your optimism and will to rebuild your country and move forward," says Dr. Mentrup. "Thank you very much for your warm welcome. We believe that this partnership will not only bring us mutual understanding and implementation of our plans, but we will leave for Karlsruhe with a completely different understanding of what a democratic society in Europe is striving for."

For his part, Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov thanked his German friends first of all for their great courage, as it takes a lot of courage to come to Ukraine in times of war. According to him, a lot was achieved during the almost two-day visit. In particular, there are agreements on establishing cooperation in the educational, humanitarian, medical and other spheres.

"Our entire team sincerely tried to present Vinnytsia as a colorful and vibrant city. We wanted our friends to feel the mentality of both Ukrainians and Vinnytsia residents. They enjoyed, among other things, our Ukrainian cuisine. And they saw that Vinnytsia is a real European comfortable city. In principle, Ukraine has no other way but to move towards development in a single European family," said the head of the community.

In this regard, Frank Mentrup emphasized: "We, as Europeans, feel responsible for supporting Ukraine so that it remains an independent and prosperous state." At the same time, he apologized for never having visited our country and Vinnytsia in particular before: "We would like to congratulate Vinnytsia residents on living in a beautiful city: a flower-filled and green city with so many smiling faces."

At the end of the briefing, Serhii Morhunov handed Frank Mentrup a souvenir photo of the representatives of the deputy corps led by the mayors of both cities who have created a common page in the recent history.