euskalkultura.eus

Boise/New York, US.  Over the last two weeks Vallejo and Oregi have followed an intense program of meetings and contacts with the highest representatives of the US Basque community, as well as with the State Governments in Idaho and Nevada, with whom they have exchanged impressions and lines of action.  Discussions have focused on issues relating to Basque communities and their relationship with the Government and the Basque Country, as well as on further commercial, touristic and economic exchanges between the Basque Country and the aforementioned state contacts.

The original program was delayed by three days due to the winter storm that hit several east coast US states, causing the cancellation of several thousand flights.  Vallejo and Oregi will arrive in New York tonight from Boise to meet in Manhattan with personnel of the Delegation of Euskadi, namely Noemi Gonzalo-Bilbao, as well as with representatives of the Eusko Etxea of New York, oldest Basque club in the states, that will be celebrating its Centennial this October.  The Basque Government is hoping to join forces with the local club and NABO to organize a memorable celebration in this city that is commonly considered as the showcase, reference and the capital of the world.

This is the first trip by Asier Vallejo since his being named by Lehendakari Urkullu as the new Director of Basque Citizens and Communities Abroad [which may soon be known as the Department for the Basque Community Abroad, according to EuskalKultura.com’s sources].  The initial motivation for this trip was to attend NABO’s winter meeting held in Salt Lake City, the first of its three annual meetings.  The federation is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The meeting served as the starting point of the tour that then lead the two to meetings in Reno and Carson City, and then to Boise, Idaho.  In Boise, Vallejo and Oregi met with representatives of different academic and cultural entities and associations that form this very active Basque community including the Basque Museum and Cultural center, the Ikastola, the Center for Basque Studies at Boise State, the Euzkaldunak Basque club, Cenarrusa Center as well as with authorities such as Deputy-Governor, Brad Little, Secretary of State Ben Ysursa and Boise Mayor, Dave Bieter. 

Besides the two offices of SPRI, a public company under the Department of economic Development and Competiveness of the Basque Government in the US (the latest one opened last July in San Francisco), the Basque Government also maintains a Delegation to Euskadi in New York whose mission is to coordinate all Basque executive action in the US, as well as in Canada and Mexico.