Foreign dignitaries to visit in August
WASHINGTON — A caravan of foreign dignitaries who are being brought to Iowa as part of Sen. Chuck Grassley’s 12th Ambassadors Tour is scheduled for Aug. 17-21 and will include a stop at TPI in Newton.
Every other year Grassley invites each country with an embassy located in Washington, D.C. to send to Iowa their ambassador and spouse. If the ambassador is unable to participate, the embassy has the option of sending another designee. The participants travel through a portion of the state to learn more about Iowa’s businesses, agriculture, education and culture.
“The Ambassadors Tour is a great opportunity for Iowa to showcase its people, businesses and education system to diplomats from around the world. Our guests get a glimpse as to why there is no better place than Iowa to live, work and play,” Grassley said. “I hope that the ambassadors will take the knowledge they gain from this trip back to their home countries and encourage their government and businesses to see what Iowa has to offer.”
The 2009 Ambassadors Tour will travel through the communities of Huxley, Carroll, Ralston, Storm Lake, Wall Lake, Sac City, Fort Dodge, Webster City, Iowa Falls, Ames, Nevada, Marshalltown, Newton, Ankeny and Des Moines. They will tour TPI in Newton from 1:20 to 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, and they also will attend the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 21.
Grassley said during the week the diplomats will stay overnight in the homes of Iowans in Carroll, Fort Dodge and Ames.
“The people of Iowa have always been generous hosts and this year is no different. Iowans shine for our guests, so it’s easy to see why our people are the state’s greatest asset,” Grassley said.
Grassley began the Ambassadors Tour in 1986 during the farm crisis. Fostering good relations with new and existing trading partners is an integral part of Grassley’s work as the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees trade issues.
Tour events are completely funded by private sponsors. Grassley also works with the Iowa Department of Economic Development to maximize the benefits of the trade tour for Iowa.
Countries that accepted the invitation to attend include Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia.
