Drohobych Mayor Taras Kuchma paid a working visit to the Spanish city of Sagunto, which is one of the key municipalities of the Valencian Autonomous Community.
Sagunto, like the entire Valencian region, has become an important centre for many Ukrainians. The local community and the business community actively support our fellow citizens by providing them with various assistance. During the visit, Taras Kuchma noted the importance of this support and expressed his gratitude to the people of Sagunto for their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Sagunto is demonstrating strong economic development. In 2024 alone, the city attracted investments of €17 million, which is a significant figure for a municipality with an annual budget of €100 million. One of the key industries is orange juice processing. The local company uses everything: the pulp is exported to Asia to produce energy drinks, while the peel is used for cosmetics and animal feed.
This entrepreneurial approach and efficient use of resources create a favourable environment for business development and demonstrate a successful experience that can be useful for Drohobych and other Ukrainian cities. During the visit, they discussed opportunities to exchange experience in investment and innovative entrepreneurship.
One of the key moments of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the cities of Drohobych and Sagunto. The document envisages the development of partnerships in various sectors: economy, culture, and social sphere. The purpose of the memorandum is to deepen cooperation between the two cities, in particular through the exchange of experience in business and investment. The official meeting was also attended by Pablo Gil, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in the Valencian Autonomous Community, Eleonora Vatral, Coordinator of the Honorary Consulate in the Valencian Community, Patricia Sanchez, a member of the Sagunto City Council, and Yuriy Yatskiv, Energy Manager, Chief Specialist of the Investment and Economic Development Department of the City Council.
The mayor of Sagunto, Dario Moreno, confirmed his desire to visit Drohobych next spring, together with a delegation of representatives of the local business association. This visit should be an important step towards further rapprochement between the cultures and peoples of Ukraine and Spain.
In 2022, in the first days of the Russian invasion, we had a telephone conversation with the mayor of Drohobych. On that day, we agreed to establish a bond of solidarity and cooperation between the two municipalities. This is only the beginning of a relationship that will allow us to create opportunities for our businesses, share our cultural heritage and traditions, but above all, defend democratic values,” – said the Mayor of Sagunto Dario Moreno.