Delegation from Ukraine's Bakhmut Visits Partner Municipality Saldus in Latvia

A delegation from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut visited the Saldus municipality in Latvia this week. Bakhmut is a partner city of Saldus, and the visit aimed to strengthen cooperation in education, support for residents and security, as well as to exchange experience on providing public services during war. The exchange matters because Ukrainian local authorities keep operating under wartime conditions, while their Latvian counterparts can offer support and practical contacts.

The delegation included Oksana Karpets, head of the Bakhmut municipal Education Department, and Natalia Otiunina, head of the Development Department and of the Bakhmut support centre in the city of Dnipro.

Meetings in Saldus

The guests met Saldus municipal council deputy chairs Inta Vanaga and Raivis Zīrups, chief executive Nellija Kleinberga and Ines Role, deputy head of the Education Department. They discussed existing cooperation and how it could develop. The Bakhmut representatives thanked Saldus, on behalf of their city leadership, for letting Ukrainian children attend camps there, giving them a short break from everyday life in wartime.

The delegation also learned about the work of the Social Service, the Municipal Police and the multifunctional centre “Jumis”. At Brocēni Secondary School they heard about the integration of Ukrainian children and young people into Latvia's education system, the support measures in place and the challenges involved.

Seminar on resilience in crises

On 20 October the Bakhmut representatives took part in a seminar organised by the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, titled “Municipal resilience and service continuity in crises: lessons from the August storm and Ukraine”. Representatives of the Chuhuiv and Bakhmut municipalities also spoke. According to them, both municipalities continue to provide residents with services, education and support during the war, including in underground shelters and remotely.

Oksana Karpets stressed: “You can switch off the light, but you cannot switch off people's resilience.” In the second part of the seminar, participants visited the newly opened Disaster Management Centre in Kuldīga.

Getting to know Latvia

During the visit the delegation toured Solveiga Dzene's ornamental garden, walked along the seashore in Jūrmala and, in Riga, strolled through the Old Town and watched the ballet “By the Beautiful Blue Danube”.