GLASGOW GREENS WELCOME TWINNING WITH MYKOLAIV
The Glasgow Green Party hails the “important signal of solidarity” the city is showing by entering a twinning arrangement with the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv this week.
The arrangement between Glasgow and Mykolaiv, due to the two cities shared history of ship-building, will represent an important shift in diplomatic ties for Glasgow, as it suspended its twinning with the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in February 2022.
The Scottish Greens have been steadfast in their support for the Ukrainian people since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
The Glasgow Green Group’s International Relations Spokesperson, Bailie Leòdhas Massie, commented: “I welcome the decision to twin Glasgow with Mykolaiv. This is an important expression of solidarity with a city that has, like many across Ukraine, suffered greatly since the Russian invasion in 2022.
“While a symbolic gesture of solidarity, this is also an opportunity to give crucial support to the people of Mykolaiv as they persevere in the face of continued Russian aggression and onwards to rebuild their city. I look forward to the twinning exercise and exploring the opportunities the people of Glasgow and Mykolaiv can bring to one another.”
Glasgow’s vote to twin with Mykolaiv will be just the latest sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Glasgow Green Party activist and former Calton Councillor candidate Kate Samuels, hails from Mykolaiv, having moved to Scotland in 2000. She has welcomed the twinning of the two cities and the support that the city administration has shown to her friends and family during the war, having herself worked to twin the two cities since March 2022.
She hopes that this agreement will foster the solidarity but also the practical help needed in rebuilding this welcoming and tolerant city which has lost a huge number of people, schools, houses and one of its key council buildings.
Kate stressed the similarities between Mykolaiv and Glasgow with a similar population size and a background in shipbuilding and the opportunity that this agreement gives to standing up to injustice.
Speaking on the agreement, she said: “I’ve been campaigning to twin Glasgow with Mykolaiv since 2022 and I am grateful for the leadership and support that Glasgow City Council has shown in making this historic decision.
“The agreement is a first step in the right direction of rebuilding the city that has suffered so much. I hope in the not too distant future I will be able to visit home again.”
