euskalkultura.eus

Boise, Idaho.  Boise’s capitol building was the scene, yesterday, of the signing of an agreement of collaboration between Euskadi and Boise, carried out by Guillermo Echenique, Secretary General of Foreign Action of the Basque Government and Idaho’s Lieutenant Governor, Brad Little, representing the President of the Basque Country and the Governor of Idaho respectively. 

The signing was attended by a large representation of the Basque community which included Ben Ysursa, Secretary of State; Pete Cenarrusa who served in the same capacity and was an elected public official for 47 years; Roy Eiguren, well known lawyer and lobbyist of Basque descent; Patty Miller, Executive Director of the Boise Basque Museum; and David Lachiondo and John Bieter, director and vice director, respectively, of the Basque Studies Program at Boise State University (BSU).

Renewable Energy and Technology

With this agreement [the second of its kind signed with other regions by the Basque Government during this term, following the establishment of a Basque Euroregion with Aquitaine] the powers that be have proposed creating a platform for Basque company interests in establishing a relationship with this state.  In that way, the agreement provides the creation of a working group between business in both countries and exploring common interests in area such as renewable energy and new technologies among others.

[From left to right, Pete Cenarrusa, former Secretary of State of Idaho and a prominent Member of the local Basque community; Guillermo Echenique, Secretary General of Foreign Action of the Basque Government, and Brad Little, Idaho’s Lieutenant Governor yesterday in the Capitol in Boise]

The agreement also provides the opening of a Euskadi business office in Boise and a similar facility for Idaho in Bilbao.  Likewise, the text emphasizes the deepening of cultural relations, as well as the establishment of new relationships between universities and university students from both countries.

Idaho Corporate Power

After the signing, the Secretary General of Foreign Action pointed out that “the Basque Country is unaware of the corporate power of the state of Idaho, even though many first class businesses have immigrated to California.  The American authorities, as well as those from the Basque Government, have started down a path that was unexplored until now but that has been facilitated by the family and cultural relationships that already exist between the two countries.”

According to Echenique, this agreement originated in the contacts between Euskadi and Idaho made during Jaialdi 2010, the festival that takes place every five years that brings together many members of the US Basque community that was also attended by the Lehendakari Patxi Lopez.