Kyiv, Bern sign joint statement on cooperation

“I hope that our meeting will launch a mutually beneficial relationship between Kyiv and Bern. For Ukraine, the opportunity to cooperate with such an economically developed city, a political center of Switzerland, a city that is a standard of high quality of life, is a signal that we are on the right track,” Klitschko stressed.

The mayor of Kyiv said that over the past five years, Ukraine had made progress towards the European community.

He noted that Kyiv is the first "smart" city in Ukraine. And while the state is currently only developing the concept of the country in a smartphone, the capital has been developing digital infrastructure for the past four years.

Klitschko noted that both Kyiv and Ukraine would not have coped with the challenges they face without the assistance and support of European friends and partners.

“In particular, the development of partnership with Switzerland and the city of Bern is important for Ukraine and Kyiv. And signing our joint statement on cooperation will be an important step in establishing mutually beneficial relations for the benefit of the residents and development of our cities,” the mayor of Kyiv stressed.

The joint statement says that Bern and Kyiv face similar problems in the fields of urban planning, construction, transport, environmental protection, economics and technology, administration, health care, labor market policies, vocational training, education, youth and sports. Therefore, the cities are ready to exchange information about the projects and experience of their successful implementation and to fruitfully cooperate for the further development of Kyiv and Bern.

On Friday, December 6, Klitschko and Graffenried will take part in the International Forum “Cities’ Leadership in response to the HIV/AIDS and TB Epidemics” with the participation of mayors, representatives of international, national organizations from 50 cities around the world.

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