Vitoria-Gasteiz. This announcement was made by the Lehendakari at a meeting held yesterday of the Advisory Council on Relations with Basque Communities Abroad in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Urkullu said that the next World Congress would be “an opportunity” for coexistence between the new Diaspora and the traditional one. It would also support the design of a policy that would satisfy their demands and future plans in the heart of a changing and globalizing world that is now a reality and requires a coordinated effort on both sides, both in Euskadi and with its children who are spread throughout the world.
The Lehendakari was flanked on either side by the Secretary General of Foreign Action, Marian Elorza, and the Director of the Basque Community Abroad, Gorka Alvarez Aranburu. The Advisory Council is an organism that is legally obliged to meet at least once a year. In this World Congress year they especially wanted to start the year by announcing the date and talk about the approach and spirit in which the executive will address the 7th World Congress of Basque Communities Abroad.
(The Lehendakari’s words at the Advisory Council meeting, video Irekia – Basque Government)
Remember that the World Congress of Basque Collectivities gathers representatives of countries that have recognized Basque clubs every four years, to date this includes 25 countries. It does so in a context in which the traditional Diaspora and its historical network of Basque clubs, with a contemporary migration that comes with distinct characteristics and brand, with common requirements and not with the framework and action that the Basque Government has requested and developed in this matter to day. The current challenge is to provide a response to both realities, maintaining the policies that have enjoyed good results in relation to the most classical Diaspora, while addressing the new realities and demands posed by today’s young migrants in their new circumstances and needs, and their new way of relating to their surrounding with Euskadi and the world.
In a discussion at the meeting, the Lehendakari placed value on the Basque Diaspora and the international vocation of Euskadi Basque Country. He explained that the reality of the Diaspora in recent ears has changed and that the profile of people who emigrate is different. “This is the challenge that the global world poses to the coexistence of our traditional Diaspora with the new one; and vice versa,” he said. In this way, in the words of the Lehendakari, “The World Congress is an opportunity to advance and shape the idea of a Global Basque Community, capable of integrating the entire Basque community abroad.” During his speech, the Lehendakari highlighted the concept of generating “networks,” when working with the Basque Community abroad.
In addition to the Lehendakari and representatives of the General Secretary of Foreign Action, representatives of other Government Departments that make up this advisory body as well as the Basque Parliament, the regional councils and the University of the Basque Country participated in yesterday’s meeting of the Advisory Council. They were also joined by three Basque club-euskal etxeak representatives that are elected precisely every four years at the World Congress of Basque Collectivities.
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