Kowel - Ukraine

Solidarity partnership agreement

The solidarity partnership agreement is an important instrument for providing direct and unbureaucratic assistance. Lord Mayor Uwe Conradt and Ihor Tschajka, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Kowel City Council, jointly signed the Solidarity Partnership Contract between the two cities by handwriting on 17 July 2023.

According to the treaty, both cities will promote and maintain friendly relations, in particular by sending delegations to each other, by enabling citizens of both cities to meet together and by communicating their respective cultures to each other. In addition, both cities pledge mutual assistance in the event of war, crises and disasters, especially in the area of support for refugees.

The city councils and administrations, public institutions and businesses of both cities are to participate in the implementation of the solidarity partnership. Social organisations, especially the youth, but also interested citizens should be involved.

KOWEL

The city of Kovel is located in the north-west of Ukraine and has about 70 000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the district of the same name in the Volyn oblast. Kowel is located about 50 kilometres from the Polish border and about 100 kilometres from the border with Belarus.

The town's name is derived from the occupational name for the blacksmith; there is evidence of iron processing in the late Middle Ages. Today the town is characterised by the machine, food and timber industries, but above all it is an important railway junction with significance. Due to the European Road 373 (Lublin - Kiev), which runs through Kowel, the city is also important for connecting Ukraine with Poland and the West.