All news

Moscow, Sevastopol mayors sign new agreement on cooperation

In recent years, the Russian capital has developed active cooperation with Sevastopol
Sergei Sonyanin, Aleksei Chalyi and Georgy Poltavchenko ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev
Sergei Sonyanin, Aleksei Chalyi and Georgy Poltavchenko
© ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev

MOSCOW, March 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Sevastopol counterpart Aleksei Chalyi have signed a new agreement on cooperation between the two cities.

“We’re taking part in a joyful event. Sevastopol has been always a native and brotherly city for us,” Sobyanin said. “We’re always been a united nation and a united territory.”

In recent years, the Russian capital has developed active cooperation with Sevastopol “despite the formal border”. “Now there is no border and we’re taking new steps towards developing cooperation,” the Moscow mayor said.

“Tomorrow we’ll begin a new stage of cooperation. We’ve signed a new agreement and determine new plans to maintain cooperation between our cities. Concrete plans will be determined soon in order to implement the agreement,” he said.

Chalyi said he was born in Moscow. “There was a time when I lived one week in Moscow and another in Sevastopol.” He thanked Moscow for support, “operative” contacts and humanitarian aid.

For 23 years, Sevastopol has not been allowed to develop. “We should solve many problems. Of course, we’ll need aid to make Sevastopol a self-sufficient city,” the Sevastopol mayor said.

“There are no doubts we’ll carry out our task — to create an infrastructure for the strategic fleet,” he said.

The St. Petersburg governor said the northern capital was ready to assist to Sevastopol. He pledged that a working group would be formed to determine concrete forms of cooperation.

Moscow and Sevastopol have started cooperation since 1990’s. In 1995, the cities signed an agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In 2000, Moscow and Sevastopol signed a similar agreement.

The signing ceremony has involved St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, Moscow Deputy Mayor for Regional Security and Information Policy Alexander Gorbenko, Speaker of the Moscow Duma Vladimir Platonov and by chairman of the Sevastopol administration Dmitry Belik.