Cornwall Council has formally signed an agreement with the Zakarpattia Oblast area of Ukraine to work together to strengthen economic ties between the two regions.
The signing of the Memorandum of Intent took place online at New County Hall on Tuesday 18 March following a direct approach to Cornwall from the Ukrainian ambassador.
The virtual meeting between representatives of Cornwall Council and Ukranian officials to sign the Memorandum of Intent, committed both parties to exploring potential areas of mutual interest.
The agreement covers a wide range of areas for cooperation including: the economy; industry, agriculture, transport, trade, education including medicine, science and technology, healthcare and humanities, language and culture.
The Zakarpattia Oblast region is situated in the southwest corner of Ukraine, with land borders with four EU nations; Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.
Sophie Hosking, Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods, speaking after the signing said: "This is one of a series of partnerships that are being forged across the United Kingdom and beyond to strengthen ties in areas such as language, culture, industry and education, to help communities and grow the local economy.
"We are delighted to have signed the formal agreement between our two regions and yesterday's signing highlighted many shared areas that we can learn from each other - from agriculture, tourism, China clay to wine-production - and some of the things the Zakarpattia region are interested in learning from our experiences of waste disposal, recycling and recovery.
"With approximately 1,000 Ukranians currently settled in Cornwall, this agreement highlights underlines our commitment to developing the bonds we share and improving the lives of all our residents."
Myroslav Biletskyy, the Head of Zakarpattia Administrative State, who signed the memorandum on behalf of the Zakarpattia region, said "We are honoured to be part of this historic moment, both for Zakarpattia and in Cornwall, and we sincerely hope that today’s meeting marks the beginning of a fruitful partnership."
ENDS
Posted 21 March, 2025