Celebration of the 35th Anniversary of
friendship between Seattle and Tashkent 1973-2008
This year has
already been an extremely successful year for the Seattle-Tashkent Sister
City Association! We held our annual meeting in March, which
was very well attended. It focused on plans for our 35th
anniversary, and also the then upcoming visit by Ilkhom Theater, sponsored
in partnership with ACT (A Contemporary Theater).
Then, on April 5th, over 200 people attended the 35th anniversary reunion
of members. Our honored guests included two former mayors of Seattle
(Mayor Uhlman and Mayor Royer), and His Excellency Ambassador Abdulaziz
Kamilov, the Uzbekistan Ambassador to the United States. It was a
great time to renew acquaintances, reinvigorate our sister city, and hear
from key individuals critical to our success in the past and the future.
As part of that reunion, many former members were instrumental in
developing a site for sharing photographs and history of our association.
Please consider visiting this site: www.seattletashkent.ning.com.
While it is not a site developed and sponsored by the sister city, it is
an very important site to see photos of sister city activities--past and
present. It is also a place to connect with former and current
sister members and participants.
We also conducted this year a very successful campaign for matching funds
, through the support of the Peg and Rick Young Foundation, to provide
funds for all the 35th anniversary activities planned for this year.
Now, we are in the throes of a delegation going to Tashkent. We have
19 delegates going, including former Mayor Wes Uhlman, who signed the
sister city documents in 1973, and Ms. Jan Drago, Seattle City
Councilmember. It promises to be a wonderful trip to renew our
sister city partnership. The official days of the visit are
August 29th to September 2nd. Many delegates are traveling
additional days throughout Uzbekistan. We will have pictures posted
upon our return. Part of our visit will include a dedication at the
Peace Park.
Just as importantly, two other activities will occur this fall. We
will be receiving a delegation from Tashkent, including the Honorable
Mayor Abdukhakhor Tukhtaev. The final dates have not been
determined. We are extremely excited about this visit and receiving their
delegation. Further, we are completing plans and a grant for a
symposium with Uzbek officials and local officials regarding renewable and
sustainable energy.
We look forward to your participation in these events as well. Keep
watching this website for ongoing news!
Dan Peterson, President, Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association
Last Update: 3 August 2008
Logo courtesy Mamoun
Sakkal
