– I have been clear that we cannot promise anything drastic, but we have talked about, for example, exchanges for football and the like could be a clue.
That’s what mayor Arne Sekkelsten (H) said about a meeting with the mayor in Rivne when the chairmanship was to say yes to a collaboration between Fredrikstad and the Ukrainian city.
Fredrikstad’s upcoming new friendship city is a city located in northwest Ukraine that had around 245,000 inhabitants before Russia attacked the country. The Central Union of Municipalities has taken on the role of connecting Ukrainian and Norwegian municipalities, and it is they who have proposed Rivne.
– Should show our support
It was originally Trond Svandal (V) who in December 2022, almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine in full, suggested that Fredrikstad should find a Ukrainian friendship city.
– Ukraine has a big problem for friendship and relations with local communities in other parts of Europe after this war. Fredrikstad should show our support and assistance to a hard-hit neighboring population, Svandal said at the time.
A few months later, the then mayor Siri Martinsen (Ap) and Fredrikstad were visited by the then Rivne mayor, who was in Norway at a municipal political summit, to discuss the possibilities for cooperation.
Today’s Rivne mayor followed up by meeting current mayor Sekkelsten at the beginning of April this year. The Ukrainian mayor was clear that Rivne would like to have Fredrikstad as a partner city.
I think the city is a good match
Now, a year and a half after the proposal was made, politicians must decide whether the two cities should cooperate.
The municipal director’s recommendation to the politicians is a clear yes.
“Ukrainian municipalities need all the help they can get. The municipal director assumes that Fredrikstad will be able to help in a good way by developing contact with one municipality/city. With its 250,000 inhabitants, Rivne appears to be a good match for Fredrikstad”, it is stated in the case papers the politicians have received.
It is not yet clear exactly how the two cities will cooperate. What is clear, however, is that, as of today, there are no direct funding schemes for municipal cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian municipalities that Fredrikstad can get help from.
– Especially with Ukraine
Thus, the municipality itself must expect to bear any costs of the collaboration, at least as the situation is today. However, when it comes to exchange, which the mayor mentioned as a possibility, there are several arrangements when it comes to children and young people.
It is the city council that makes the final decision on 2 May. If they are as positive as the politicians in the chairmanship were, where there was a unanimous yes to cooperation, Rivne will become our new friendly city.
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Let Fredrikstad befriend a city in Ukraine
At the same time, the chairmanship unanimously agreed to a proposal from Sekkelsten to look at the possibility of collaboration with nearby educational institutions that can help promote integration and language training. He pointed out in particular that there are community colleges with vacant places, while the municipality has limited capacity in many places.
– We have several twin cities, but it is extra special to be able to get it in Ukraine, which is at war. I think this is all the more important and symbolic, said Trond Svandal.
– Finest case
He imagined that Fredrikstad might be able to participate in things such as various types of support, school cooperation and sports cooperation.
Hashim Mohodin Abdi (Ap) was also very excited:
– In my short period as an elected representative, this is the finest case I have been involved in. Ukraine is now fighting a fateful battle for the democratic principles we defend.
PS: From before, Fredrikstad has these twin cities: Karlskoga in Sweden, Aalborg in Denmark, Kotka in Finland, Nordurthing in Iceland, Slupsk in Poland as well as San Martin and Patzun in Guatemala.
