Dmitry Samoilov, the Mayor of Perm has met Matthew Osborn, the Acting British Consul-General in Yekaterinburg, to discuss the further development of twin links between the cities of Perm and Oxford.
The Mayor of Perm outlined the main objectives of the city administration and the priorities set for the city development, namely, education, roads repair and maintenance, city improvement, development of communal infrastructure, etc.
“ Seven schools inPermhave been rated among the top 500 best Russian schools. Moreover, School No. 114 has gained the recognition as the best inclusive education institution in the Russian Federation. The city annually commissions one or two schools – newly- built or fully reconstructed. Implementing the Presidential decree , we have recently increased the capacity of our pre-school institutions by one third. The plan for this year, as in the past two years, features repairing of a million square metres of roads and streets in Perm. Another project under way at the moment is refurbishment and development of the Kama embankment within the city centre, which will add still more to the “cultural component” of the city’s life”, commented the Mayor on some of the current projects.
The city’s authorities take a lot of interest and efforts to strengthen international cooperation and development of twin links between municipalities including Oxford-Perm link established back in 1995.
“The relationship between Perm and Oxford no doubt will continue and we are looking forward to seeing our guests from Oxford at the celebrations of 295th anniversary of Perm city”, said Dmitry Samoilov.
Matthew Osborne, the acting British Consul-General in Yekaterinburg, in his turn, expressed the readiness to support further cooperation in joint projects.
“We are happy to see the Perm-Oxford link developing successfully. I would stress that this relationship has been established and promoted by the residents of the two cities without any imposing from the authorities and now it is implemented in a wide interaction in many spheres of life”, Matthew Osborne noted.
As Matthew Osborne commented, 2017 was the Year of Science and Education for Britain and Russia. Among the year’s events the exchange of experience among Perm and British experts in treatment and prevention of diabetic foot syndrome was organized.
“ It is obvious that the current year will become the year of sports, asRussia hosts the World Football Cup in 2018. People in both countries love sports. The “Cup of Friendship” football competition held inPerm became one of the most memorable events of the past year for me. It was very pleasant to see the young people from Oxford playing football here, I could feel the atmosphere of warmth and care accompanying their whole visit, and this is truly remarkable”, he pointed out.
Matthew Osborne expressed his willingness to take part in the second Perm International Marathon to be held in Perm on September 9, 2018.
“ The first marathon has proved to be a successful experience. The participants fromOxfordran a distance of10 kilometers. We will be happy to see you taking part in the marathon’, Dmitry Samoilov responded.
It should be noted that the official delegation from Oxford is planned to visit Perm this year for the celebrations of the city’s 295th anniversary, and in August Oxford will host a return visit from Perm of a group of young football players; the joint projects between the journalists, as well as many other interactions within the twin links, will continue.
