A convoy of nine vehicles, including six police cars, a firefighting vehicle, and two passenger cars, along with medical equipment, digital devices, and bulletproof vests arrived in Lviv as part of the humanitarian initiative led by Bart Somers, Mayor of the Belgian city of Mechelen.
That’s according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“We have very good relations with our sister city Lviv. We are very proud to have Lviv as our twinning city. This all started with the war. I actually was in the Maidan back in 2014, and that’s when I got very emotionally involved with the Ukrainian people,” the mayor told Ukrinform.
The convoy was formed after municipal authorities in Lviv asked for assistance to provide service vehicles for the city, including used police cars, the mayor or Mechelen explained.
“We mobilized the city, including the police who gave some cars and also 200 bulletproof vests. The fire brigade gave one of their vehicles, and our hospital helped with medical equipment. Car services rallied to refurbish the vehicles for free to bring them to a good shape. So everyone helped, which was a really moving thing,” Bart Somers said.
“We are a small city, and it’s just that much that we can do but everyone can make a difference, even if it’s small. We’re sending a signal that we never forget about Ukraine. We understand that you are the shield that protects us, that we have to do more, that we are a little bit ashamed that Europe doesn’t do more for you, that you should have been already member of NATO, member of the European Union, which would be totally logical in my opinion,” said the city chief.
The mayor added that efforts like these helps spread awareness among the people of Belgium, because as the war goes on and other conflicts emerge across the world, it may become normalized, which is unacceptable.
“But we have to show our people that this is not just some war, this is our war, and you are not just some people, you are our people. You are Europeans, part of our European family,” Bart Somers stressed.
On a separate note, the mayor noted that his city was the first in Belgium to open a refugee camp for displaced Ukrainians that hosted over a thousand people, and hundreds of Ukrainians still live in Mechelen, being really pro-active in speaking up for Ukraine’s cause.
“While a decade ago few people in Belgium knew much about Ukraine but now people have a lot of admiration for your country, being impressed with Ukraine and its people. They already have an emotional connection and are willing to do more to help,” the mayor concluded.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Belgium’s Ambassador to Ukraine Luc Jacobs, commenting on Russia’s recent deadly strike against Kyiv said the lives shattered in Russian attacks are the unacceptable price for a lack of united resolve to force Russia to negotiate peace.
“No words can express the pain and grief, so action counts,” the ambassador stressed.
On June 22, the town of Kalush signed a twinning agreement with Belgium’s Merelbeke-Melle as the latter’s delegation led by Mayor Egbert Lachaert paid their first visit.
Source: Lviv welcomes humanitarian convoy from Belgium’s Mechelen
