The Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva joined the International Summit of Cities and Regions, which was launched in Ukraine at the initiative of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine.

More than 120 heads of communities and regions from different partner countries of Ukraine, representatives of the EU Committee of the Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and the National Association of Municipalities of Denmark took part in the event.

The Summit participants were greeted by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “With this Summit, we are opening a new level of interaction on the Congress platform, and this is the interaction between our hromadas of Ukraine and the hromadas of other respected states. The countries of our partners, whom we highly value. Those who, like all Ukrainians, value freedom and effective local self-government.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also awarded the city of Paris with a special award, established in Ukraine, “City-Savior,” which has previously been awarded to cities in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. It was Paris that became one of the leaders in energy support for Ukraine while Russia was trying to destroy our critical infrastructure. It was Paris that consolidated partners to supply generators and other equipment to minimize the impact of enemy shelling. The President of Ukraine handed the award to the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo.

In particular, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined the Summit. He emphasized that the Alliance supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and expressed his admiration for our country and our people, their resilience, unity and strength. This is an important reminder to both Ukraine and the world that NATO supports our country’s fight for freedom and independence.

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Chairman of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, delivered the closing remarks. “The whole of Europe needs a clear understanding that the future depends on our decisions today, on our ability to see the goal and create the means. Simply put, it depends on our leadership. We invite every community, every region of Ukraine and partner countries to work together to realize this leadership.”

The participants of the Summit signed agreements on cooperation between cities and regions, an agreement on Ukraine’s accession to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and adopted a joint Declaration of the International Summit of Cities and Regions.