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Vitoria-Gasteiz.  The Lehendakari, Patxi López, will leave this Thursday for the United States where he will carry out a week-long official and business trip to the east coast.  The trip has a high business profile as evidenced by the fact that he is accompanied by a wide representation of Basque companies with interests in the US, along with Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Bernabé Unda, and the Minister of Environment, Territorial Planning, Agriculture and Fisheries, Pilar Unzalu

The goal is to improve relations between Basque and American companies and to help the former in their internationalization.  Contacts will also be made, at the institutional level, in the field of technological research and tourism.  During his trip the Lehendakari will also meet with the Basque communities in New York and Washington DC.

Eusko Etxea and Basque Channel

The schedule of activities will begin on Friday in Dallas, Texas, with a visit to the Devon Energy Company and a reception by the Heyco Energy Group at the Petroleum Club. On Saturday the Lehendakari will travel to New York, where he will meet the local Basque community at the Eusko Etxea, the first Basque center in the US, which is already preparing its centennial celebration in 2013. During the meeting there will be a presentation of the Basque channel, Canal Vasco, whose signal can already be seen on both coasts of the United States.

On Sunday, Patxi López, will lead a trip to Ground Zero.  On Monday, among other activities, he will sign an agreement between the Basque Culinary Center and the Culinary Institute of America which is headquartered in the Big Apple.

Boston and Washington

From New York the Basque delegation will move to Boston, where the Lehendakari will meet with Deval Patrick, the Governor of Massachusetts.  Next the Lehendakari will inaugurate the offices and laboratory of the Basque company Progenika.  Another of the events of the day will be his participating in the conference, “Competitive Transformation in the Basque Country, the Role of Clusters,” that will take place at the University of Harvard.

On Wednesday October 19, the Lehendakari will visit Washington DC where he will address a gathering at the Business Day of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) event.  In addition, López  willgive a lecture at Johns Hopkins University entitled, “Euskadi: a local proposal for a global crisis.” In the afternoon, at 19:30, the Lehendakari will host a reception for local authorities in which the local Basque community will be included along with representatives of the city’s young Basque club.

On Thursday the 20th the day will be spent between Washington and New York where the Lehendakari will host a reception featuring Basque agri-food products and aimed at tourism to the Basque Country.  Patxi Lopes’s stay in the US will conclude with a visit to the Gamesa headquarters in Trenton on Friday October 21^st.