In France, an indefinite partnership agreement was executed between the cities of Chernihiv and Reims*. The document was signed by Alexander Lomako, Acting Mayor of Chernihiv, Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of Reims, and Catherine Vautrin, President of Grand Reims.

This is reported by the official website of the Chernihiv City Council.

“This is a historic day for our two municipalities, for the cities of Reims and Chernihiv. It’s not about today or tomorrow, it’s about many years to come. I am positive that the friendship between our cities will benefit, first and foremost, their people. This partnership is very important for us, especially today. This agreement shows the people of Chernihiv that we are not alone. The civilized world supports us in the bloody war with Russia. Rather than the war between two armies, this is the war between two value systems,” Oleksandr Lomako said in his speech.

Catherine Vautrin, President of Grand Reims:

“The date chosen for the signing of this partnership agreement is not accidental. It sends a powerful signal: the allies will win again. We strongly believe that Ukraine will win, that it will regain the peace it deserves and all its pre-war greatness.”

The signing of the final agreement was preceded by a several-month work process to establish contact and determine the direction for future cooperation between the cities. The establishment of partnership relations between the Ukrainian and French cities was facilitated by U-LEAD with Europe.

To lay the foundations of this new friendship, Oleksandr Lomako visited Reims for the first time in November 2022 on a working visit, and in February 2023, a delegation from the French city visited Chernihiv, where they stayed for several days, studying the extent of the destruction as well as the city itself.

“During the last meeting, I showed you a video of the destruction of Chernihiv. The city survived a devastating attack from the enemy at the initial stage of the war. We were under partial blockade for 35 days. There was no power, water or heat in the city for two weeks; we were close to a humanitarian disaster. But we persevered, and our military drove the enemy away. Before 24 February 2022, the population of Chernihiv was 285,000. At the end of March, 70,000 people remained in the city.

A lot has changed over the year. The city authorities did everything to signal to the people that Chernihiv had a bright future, that we would restore it and that people could return here. Over the year, we have already managed to recover a lot. The heating season in the city started on time and went according to schedule. There is water supply, despite the enemy’s attack on the energy infrastructure, there is power, public transport is running, children go to schools and kindergartens, businesses are opening back up. Life has returned to the city, as much as possible during the war. Today, more than 260,000 people live in Chernihiv. They believed in their city and its future. Thank you for believing in it too,” Oleksandr Lomako said, extending his gratitude to his partners.

Mayor Arnaud Robinet:

“More than 80% of Reims was destroyed during the First World War and rebuilt in part thanks to international solidarity. The city survived the humiliation and pain of occupation during the Second World War, before becoming the city of victory on 7 May 1945 and restoring the prestige of its history. That is why we are aware of the destructive scale of war and the meaning of rising from the ashes to regain our greatness and continue development. We know that such a bright future awaits the city of Chernihiv, and Reims will support its Ukrainian friend during its recovery.”

Directions for the future cooperation between Chernihiv and Reims include water supply and drainage, waste processing, youth policy, culture and tourism.

“As part of this partnership, Grand Reims aims to exchange best practices in the field of local public services. Specifically, this involves sharing best practices between water supply and drainage services, in particular to restore destroyed and outdated equipment in Chernihiv. Exchange of best practices between waste processing and public space cleaning services, again in the context of recovery of Chernihiv,” said Catherine Vautrin.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in France Vadym Omelchenko expressed his congratulations on the important event — the execution of official cooperation between the cities of Chernihiv and Reims — via videoconference, after the signing of the agreement.

Since the beginning of the large-scale war on 24 February 2022, Chernihiv broke off partnership relations with Gomel, Belarus, entering into agreements with Rzeszów, Poland; Aachen, Germany; Lappeenranta, Finland; and Reims, France, instead.

*Reims is a city in France with a population of over 180,000. It is the famous capital of champagne wines, as their largest producers are located there. There is also a large aircraft factory in the city, which produces general-purpose aircraft.