On Friday, December 7, 2024, the cities of Palaiseau and Boyarka formalized their twinning during a solemn ceremony at Palaiseau City Hall, in the presence of delegations from the two cities and their partners.
This partnership, initiated in December 2023 under the leadership of Stand With Ukraine, Cities4Cities, and the Île-de-France Region during the “Île-de-France and Ukraine: United in Action” Forum, quickly took shape with the visit of Tetiana Kochkova, Deputy Mayor of Boyarka, to Palaiseau this summer, accompanied by around twenty children.
This visit, designed to provide a respite from a daily life marked by air raid sirens, not only strengthened the human bonds between the two communities but also paved the way for promising new collaborations focused on cultural, educational, and solidarity-driven projects.
This twinning is part of Palaiseau’s long-standing tradition of international cooperation, as the city has been twinned with Unna, Germany, for 55 years. A German delegation led by Sandro Wiggerich was also present at the ceremony. Through this new alliance, Palaiseau reaffirms its commitment to European values of friendship, solidarity, and peace.
This weekend, an official delegation from Boyarka visited Palaiseau to formally seal this partnership. During the ceremony, the Mayor of Palaiseau, Grégoire de Lasteyrie, and the Deputy Mayor of Boyarka, Tetiana Kochkova, signed a twinning charter alongside representatives from the city of Unna, symbolizing their mutual commitment to developing joint projects and strengthening ties between their communities.
Following the signing, the three leaders delivered speeches highlighting the importance of this alliance, emphasizing the friendship and solidarity that unite their cities. To conclude the event, they exchanged symbolic gifts from their respective countries, marking the beginning of a new chapter written together in the spirit of cooperation and fraternity.
Photographs: © City of Palaiseau
