The lehendakari Imanol Pradales will begin tomorrow his first official trip to the United States with the aim of forging new political and economic alliances at a time of great instability in international relations. The Basque Government and the PNV have expressed their concern following Donald Trump's return to power in the North American country.
Pradales will hold two politically marked meetings once he lands in Washington, the first stop on his international tour. The first meeting will be with the Democratic congressman John Garamendi, considered one of the main figures of the Basque lobby, due to his Basque origin and his work in facilitating relationships between American and Basque administrations and companies.
After a reception for the Basque community in the U.S. capital, Pradales will discuss the new policy implemented by Trump and its possible impact on business and economic issues in Euskadi. This official trip arises as a necessity to understand firsthand the state of transatlantic relations.
In addition to political meetings, Pradales will visit the sapling of the Guernica tree planted in 2016 in the Capitol Peace Park and will participate in a roundtable at the ‘School of Media & Public Affairs’ at George Washington University. The BasQ strategy, an initiative of the Basque Government to position the region as one of the world’s leading quantum hubs, will be discussed.
In New York, Pradales will meet with officials from the Guggenheim Foundation to discuss the future of the museum's site in Bilbao. He also has a scheduled meeting with executives from IBM. The unpredictability in the decisions of the Trump Administration is a factor to consider during this visit, which also includes a meeting with James E. Risch, representative of Idaho in the Senate, a state with a significant Basque community in the city of Boise.
