A professor who started a petition calling for Oxford City Council to sever its link with Russian twin city Perm has said it is “important” to review the city’s twinning agreements.

On Friday, the council announced that it would temporarily end its twinning agreement with Perm. Read more about that here>>>

In a statement, the council states that leader of Oxford City Council, Susan Brown, has taken steps to end Oxford’s twin status with Perm “until such time as Russia’s breaches of international law cease”.

Since it invaded Ukraine, Russia has been criticised across the world for its actions and has been hit with economic sanctions.

The twinning agreement is expected to officially end today and the lord mayor of Oxford will ask the next Full Council meeting to endorse the decision.

Pawel Swietach, an Oxford University lecturer from Poland, started the petition because he believed the Perm link went against Oxford’s "moral compass".

READ MORE: Protest to end war in Ukraine attended by hundreds in Oxford

 

Following the announcement from the council, Professor Swietach told the Oxford Mail it is “important” to review Oxford’s twin cities.

He said: “This is great that we are thinking about this, I think it is timely that we are looking for exit strategies. It is important to review how good our twinnings are, whether they really deliver, and this will be the first step. The next step will be how we reach out to our friends in Perm.”

The decision to temporarily end the twinning agreement came at the right time, in Professor Swietach’s opinion.

He said: “It is silly to make very rapid decisions on things that are important to the city.

“I think this is the right time frame, people have to hear both sides of the argument, even though this is pretty much one-sided, and then make this decision. I think the council did the right thing at the right pace.”

He noted that it is “deeply disappointing” that Oxford’s mayor wrote a letter and received no response from Perm’s leadership.

Professor Swietach added: “How do we reach out to our colleagues in Perm that are like-minded? There probably will not be that many who are very vocal but we need to support them to make their mission worthwhile.”

READ MORE: Oxford must sever ties with 'military' Russian twin town says petition

Professor Swietach also believes it is important for Oxford, and other towns and cities across Europe, to pair up with a Ukrainian city.

He said: “You can rebuild buildings but how can you confidence? Somebody has to show them that we can rebuild these relationships. Things will be better again.

“I think if every European city finds a Ukrainian twin this could really make a difference.”

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