A joyful day for Frankfurt's international relations: On Monday, May 13, Lord Mayor Mike Josef and Mayor Andriy Sadovyy ceremoniously sealed the city partnership between Frankfurt and the Ukrainian city of Lviv in the Kaisersaal. The city council approved the twinning of Frankfurt and Lviv on May 2. Lviv's Mayor Sadovyy accompanied a delegation to the signing of the agreement.
Mayor Josef says: "We also want to strengthen the European bond with today's ceremony and make it clear: Ukraine and Lviv belong on the side of the European Union. The courageous people there are defending the values of Europe, which are also at stake in the European elections. These are the values of freedom, human rights and democracy. The timing of the town twinning is well chosen, we want to give a sign of hope and solidarity. Lviv and Frankfurt are both economically and culturally important centers of their countries. That is why this connection is exactly right. I would like to thank Lviv's Mayor Andriy Sadovyy for the good discussions over the last few months, for the objectives and the cooperation."
City Councillor Eileen O'Sullivan says: "The city partnership with Lviv is particularly important to me for two reasons. Firstly, it sends out an unmistakable signal that Frankfurt is firmly on Ukraine's side. And secondly, it enables us to provide immediate concrete assistance to the residents of Lviv. Lviv is similar in size to Frankfurt and is one of the most important cultural centers in Ukraine. At the same time, our twin city Krakow itself already has a functioning city partnership with Lviv - a cooperation that has already proven to be effective and valuable for aid to Ukraine in the past. This is another reason why Lviv was an obvious choice for the city council. I am very pleased that the city councillors have followed this view."
Lviv's Mayor Sadovyy says: "The partnership between Lviv and Frankfurt is a strong signal for our city and the entire Ukrainian population in these difficult times. Frankfurt understands us better than any other city. It is also a great honor to have a partnership with the largest financial center in Europe. Given what we have in common, I look forward to building a close long-term relationship with Frankfurt and further intensifying our joint cooperation with Krakow as a partner."
Lviv and Frankfurt have contractually agreed to work closely together, particularly in the areas of business, science, technology and culture. The aim is to initiate projects and a general exchange of experience in the fields of tourism and sport, education and science, art and culture, healthcare and rehabilitation, environmental protection and local politics.
The city of Lviv has a similar population to Frankfurt, with more than 700,000 citizens before the war. Lviv is considered the cultural center of Ukraine and is a flourishing economic metropolis in the region with a focus on IT and health science. Due to the Russian war of aggression, the health science sector is becoming increasingly important. Many war invalids are being provided with prostheses in Lviv, for example. The city is also expanding its psychological care and support for victims of torture, for example. With its large Health Campus, Lviv is considered the backbone of Ukraine. Both GIZ and the EU have invested and successfully implemented projects there. The city takes in refugees and supplies the entire region and other cities in Ukraine with relief supplies and coordinates their distribution. Around 30,000 soldiers from Lviv are currently on the front line.
