Eighteen Ukrainian mayors have arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the Covenant of Mayors East project. They are currently in Mostar and will then head to Sarajevo.
The purpose of the visit is to share Bosnia and Herzegovina's experience with post-war reconstruction, as well as the challenging situations the country faced after the war, with the aim of providing valuable insights to help Ukraine in its rebuilding efforts.
Darko Knezovic, energy manager for the City of Mostar and co-organizer of the Ukrainian mayors’ visit to the cities of Mostar and Sarajevo, stated that these two cities were chosen by the Association of Mayors.
“Mostar is one of the cities with much to show. It survived the worst and we live with hope and vision. We've achieved a lot since the war. The idea is to share our positive experiences, but also the challenges we still face today. The focus is on the experience of post-war reconstruction,” Knezovic said.
He adds that Mostar is a city with positive energy, and they want the Ukrainian mayors to take a piece of that energy with them.
Christophe Frering, a representative of the delegation, said that this visit is important because Bosnia and Herzegovina went through a challenging reconstruction process.
“Ukraine is now in a dreadful situation and we are already thinking about reconstruction. This visit is important for our mayors. The group consists of representatives from various parts of Ukraine, including those from the eastern and northeastern regions that have suffered the most devastation,” he added.
The deputy mayor of Zhytomyr said that they want to see how BiH survived the war, rebuilt cities, and understand what mistakes were made to avoid repeating them.
“We want to learn from your mistakes so we don't repeat them. Our primary goal is to defeat Russian fascism. Zhytomyr suffered heavily in the early days of the war, with significant damage to civilian infrastructure on February 28, including homes, schools, and buildings… We now receive considerable assistance from the European Union to rebuild the city,” she noted.
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