Riga City Council Speaker Vilnis Ķirsis and Vice-Mayor Linda Ozola paid a working visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, this week, where they discussed opportunities for mutual assistance between the two municipalities and agreed on further cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies and digitisation.
In his meeting with the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, Mr Ķirsis stressed that Latvia and Riga would continue to provide all possible support to Ukraine. "The first thing we can do is to support Ukraine in the political arena and at government level – to care, to talk, to support Ukraine's admission to the European Union, to not delay and to expand the aid to the country. We need to keep talking and reminding about the true face of Russia. It is at times like these, when adversity strikes, that our friends and allies shine through. At the local level, we will continue to help Ukrainian civilians settle in Riga and create a sense of security, as well as facilitate the daily life of the Ukrainian population with technical support such as buses, tractors and other means. We are very grateful that in such complex and challenging circumstances Kyiv also finds ways to help Riga – with its knowledge and experience in digital and civil protection," said the Riga City Council President.
"Latvia and Riga were among the first in Europe to lend a helping hand to Ukrainians fleeing the war. This support is very important for us, encouraging others to show their support for Ukraine. And the fact that our friends are in Kyiv is especially important – it gives every Ukrainian the confidence and encouragement that we are not alone in this struggle. Despite the challenges, we are proud of our city – we want to talk about it, show it and share our experience," said Mr Klitschko.
"In the 1990s, Latvia received substantial Nordic support in the process of European integration. Now, after almost 20 years as a member of the European Union, we have both the opportunity and the moral obligation to support Ukraine in its European integration process. And our experience is invaluable to them. At the same time, we receive support from the Ukrainians, no matter how difficult their situation, on how to rapidly and effectively develop civil protection and a security culture in their society," said Ms Ozola.
During the visit, the Riga City Council also met with representatives of the Ukraine-Latvia Parliamentary Twinning Group, where they shared recommendations and experience in the field of civil protection, notification and mobilisation, discussed the best models of cooperation in crisis situations, attracting volunteers, organising drills, involving women in the military, cooperation between municipalities and other issues.
During the talks, the participants also outlined potential future needs of Ukraine, where Riga's assistance could be useful. The Ukrainian representatives noted that they would be very grateful for any support they could give to the children, for example by organising children's camps, to help them feel "normal" and human. It would also be necessary to continue rehabilitation for soldiers and the use of Latvia's military training infrastructure for Ukrainian youth.
To learn about Kyiv's experience in connecting the city into one transparent digital ecosystem, the Riga City Council leadership visited the Kyiv Digital team at their IT command centre. The Mayors of the two capitals also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies and digitisation. In the Memorandum, both sides reaffirmed the European values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, as well as their willingness to cooperate on sustainable urban development and other areas of mutual benefit and prosperity. The Memorandum also provides for the strengthening of cooperation and exchange of experience in civil protection for sustainable development to support the prosperity and development of both countries.
Representatives of the Riga Municipality also received words of appreciation from the residents of Kyiv for the donated buses of the company "Rīgas satiksme", which are serving well and with different numbers, but still in our familiar colours, they run daily in the city streets.
It has already been reported that since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Riga has donated 31 public transport buses filled with 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid donated by Riga residents to Kyiv, donated EUR 200,000 to Mykolaiv to restore the city's drinking water supply, donated EUR 200,000 to send 115 generators and 100 heat blowers to Ukraine.
Riga City Council capital companies are also actively involved in providing support to Ukraine. SIA “Rīgas ūdens”, Riga Maternity Hospital and SIA “Rīgas meži” have donated a total of EUR 30,000 to support Ukraine, Riga 1st Hospital has donated medical supplies worth EUR 10,000, and AS “RĪGAS SILTUMS” has donated eight generators to Ukraine with a total value of EUR 11,230. In addition to the buses, SIA “Rīgas ūdens”, SIA “Rīgas Meži” and SIA “Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks” donated a total of 24 vehicles to Ukraine. 148 Ukrainian babies have been born in the Riga Maternity Hospital since the beginning of the war until December 7. SIA “Rīģa veselības centrs” has donated X-ray equipment to Svitlovodsk Hospital in Ukraine. Around 70 Ukrainian civilians work in Riga municipal capital companies, and several dozen are employed in Riga municipal institutions.
Information prepared by: Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, email: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv
