This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
08.03.2025
Khotyn and Eslöv become sister cities: a new Swedish-Ukrainian partnership
On February 28, 2025, the mayor of Khotyn, Andriy Dranchuk, and the chairman of the Eslöv Municipal Council, Johan Andersson, signed a cooperation agreement between the Ukrainian and Swedish communities. The ceremony took place during a three-day visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Sweden. The communities began communicating directly, and after signing the agreement, the partnership joined Cities4Cities, becoming the sixteenth Swedish-Ukrainian partnership in the network.
“Meeting people from a country at war opens up an understanding that can only be gained through personal communication. The situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult. It is obvious that they need help and support, and they are under great strain. It is painful to hear that children in Khotyn have to run to shelters several times a day when sirens sound. And all this despite the fact that Khotyn is far from the front line,” said Johan Andersson, chairman of the Eslöv City Council.
During the visit, they discussed future joint projects in the fields of economy, tourism, and utilities. The Ukrainian delegation was interested in environmental initiatives and modern water treatment technologies used by the Swedish sister city.
“We received an extremely warm welcome and were able to exchange invaluable experience. In particular, it was very interesting for us to visit the gymnasium in Eslöv. This is an educational institution of an extremely high level. In Ukraine, we pay considerable attention to education, and the introduction of the Swedish model of vocational training in our schools is extremely important,” said Andriy Dranchuk, Mayor of Khotyn.
The next meeting between the two cities is scheduled for May in Stockholm during the Swedish-Ukrainian Partnership Forum.
This partnership is part of a network of 54+ EU-Ukraine municipal partnerships that are actively developing under the Cities4Cities initiative and Sweden’s flagship program for Ukraine, Polaris, “Support to Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine”, implemented by SALAR International.
Source and photo: Eslöv Municipal Council