International Diplomats Visit Wyoming

Twenty-four members of the Diplomatic Corps stationed in Washington D.C. to represent countries on five continents are arriving in Jackson Hole today to participate in a tour entitled “Experience America 2012.”  Assistant Chief of Protocol for Diplomatic Partnerships Ali Rubin explains these tours were instituted through the State Department under President George W. Bush to educate other nations about our country.  She says by doing so, the State Department provides a deeper understanding of our nation’s people, heritage and history.  She adds that these trips generate cultural exchange, international good will, and can launch mutually beneficial partnerships between organizations, businesses and local governments these diplomats engage with.  Tours in the past have visited such destinations as Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Alaska and other areas they are not likely to see in their normal activities.  Rubin says this tour seeks to expose the diplomats to the unique attributes of Wyoming.  She says the department wanted to give the diplomats a diverse overview of what the state has to offer, and thought by going to see the mountains, Teton County, and showing them much different places it would give them a better understanding of what the state has to offer.  Activities of the diplomats and their spouses will include a visit to Grand Teton National Park and a demonstration there or search and rescue techniques, and a presentation at Jackson Lake Lodge of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”  Their visit to the Lodge will also include a taped video address by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, who will discuss his bilateral meetings with former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze during the Wyoming Ministerial in September of 1989, and they will see the desk where their agreement was signed. The group will continue into Yellowstone National Park and then Cody where they will visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.