Kharkiv and Ganja have agreed to establish a partnership
During a working visit to Azerbaijan, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov met with Niyazi Bayramov, the head of the Ganja City Executive Administration.
The parties discussed support for Ukraine, the role of the Azerbaijani community in Kharkiv, and the possibility of establishing an official partnership between the two cities.
During the meeting, Ihor Terekhov spoke about the situation in Kharkiv, which, despite ongoing challenges, remains one of Ukraine’s largest industrial, educational, and scientific centers. Today, the city is home to approximately 1.3 million people, including over 215,000 internally displaced persons.
The mayor emphasized that, despite the difficult conditions, enterprises, higher education institutions, research institutions, and businesses continue to operate in Kharkiv. The parties also discussed the contribution of the Azerbaijani diaspora, which historically is one of the largest in the city and today provides the greatest support to the community.
According to Igor Terekhov, Kharkiv is interested in developing partnership relations with Ganja—Azerbaijan’s second-largest city and a major industrial, educational, and logistics hub. This includes, in particular, cooperation in the areas of urban development, infrastructure, modern technologies, the economy, and the exchange of management expertise.
The mayor of Kharkiv emphasized that it is important for the city to have reliable partners in Azerbaijan, and the possible signing of a memorandum of cooperation could mark a new stage in relations between the communities.
“For Kharkiv, Azerbaijan’s support is highly significant. Our city is home to a large Azerbaijani diaspora, and it is important to us that its members remain in Kharkiv, work here, develop their businesses, and support the community. We see great potential in our partnership with Ganja. It is a city with which we have much in common: industry, education, logistics, and strong human capital. We would like our cooperation to be practical rather than formal - with concrete projects and tangible results for people,” noted Ihor Terekhov.
In turn, Niyazi Bayramov noted the resilience of Ukrainians and expressed his support for Ukraine. He also emphasized his readiness to develop dialogue between the cities and explore possible formats for further cooperation.
“Ukrainians are a strong and resilient people. We see how your country is holding up during these difficult times, and we sincerely support Ukraine. There is mutual respect and friendly relations between our peoples, so we are open to further dialogue and cooperation between Ganja and Kharkiv,” said Niyazi Bayramov.
