Ezagutu Lehendakaritza

One of the most emotive moments of the visits done by the members of the Basque Communities was the visit of the Tree of Gernika, symbol of all Basques. The Congress members also had the opportunity to visit the Casa de Juntas of the Bizkaian town, and to meet its most important representatives.

Joseba Leizaola, President of the Basque Parliament, and the rest of the components of the Basque Chamber, explained to the members of the Basque Centers, who exceptionally took the places of the Government members, and of the rest of the Parliamentary members, how this Institution, which is one of the pillars of the Basque self-government, works.

The Lehendakari welcomes the members of the Euskal Etxeak that came to Vitoria to participate in this meeting between the Basques living in Euskadi and abroad. For some of them this was the first visit to their mother land and they were greatly impressed by the reunion with the people and political representatives.

The central court at the headquarters of the Basque Government Presidency in Vitoria, also called the Lehendakaritza, was where the working sessions of the 1^st World Congress of Basque Communities and the solemn opening and closing acts were held.

The opening session of the Congress, presided by Lehendakari Ardanza, was attended by about 200 people, representatives of the Institutions of the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and Iparralde, and also from different sectors of the Basque society.

The General Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Basque Government, Andoni Ortuzar, welcomes the attendants during the opening ceremony of the Congress. At the presiding table, from left to right, professor William Douglass, Lehendakari Ardanza, the President of the Federation of Argentinian-Basque Centers (FEVA) Felipe Muguerza, and the Director for Basque Communities, Iñaki Aguirre.

The delegates of the Basque Centers took a preferential place in the opening ceremony of the Congress. Some of them curiously observe the presidential headquarters where all the working sessions were held.

Iñaki Cabases, representative of the Government of Navarre, and first from the left, with some of the Basque Ministers that were also present at the opening ceremony. We can see them in the picture talking in a relaxed way just before the act started.

Many representatives of Basque Institutions attended the opening sessions of the 1^st Congress of Basque Communities. In the picture, from left to right, Juan Bautista Pardo, who was then President of the Basque Country High Court of Justice, Joseba Leizaola, President of the Basque Parliament, Carlos Garaikoetxea, ex Lehendakari, José Angel Cuerda, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz, José Manuel López de Juan Abad, President of the Provincial Council of Alava, Aitor Esteban, President of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and José Luis Bilbao, Regional Deputy for Bizkaia.

The band of the Ertzaintza (the Basque Police), was responsible for the musical part of the solemn act that gave start to the Congress.

Lehendakari Ardanza greeted each of the members of the Basque Centers that attended this meeting. In the picture, the Lehendakari is greeting Pedro Leguina, from the Chilean-Basque Foundation, while the Uruguayan delegates wait for their turn.

Once the opening act was finished, the guests had the opportunity of talking in a relaxed way. In the front we can see Juan Mª Atutxa, Interior Minister of the Basque Government, talking with José Ramón Beloki, representative of the Gipuzkoa County Council and member of the Advisory Board of Relations with Basque communities.

The guests wait in a relaxed atmosphere the arrival to the Presidency of the Basque Government, of the members of the Basque Centers, under the alert observation of members of the Ertzaintza, in full dress uniform.

Lehendakari José Antonio Ardanza greets Carlos Garaikoetxea, who attended the opening session as ex Lehendakari.

The members of the presiding table listen to the Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia (Basque National Anthem) that finished the opening session of the World Congress of Basque Communities.

Some of the delegates fron the Euskal Etxeak with the president of the Basque Business Confederation -Confebask-, Baltasar Errazti, during the reception that followed the opening act.

The consular corps of the Basque Autonomous Community also decided to attend the ceremony in order to welcome the members of the Basque diaspora.

Lehendakari Ardanza greets Juan Bautista Pardo, who was then the President of the Basque High Court of Justice, observed by the Dean of the University of Deusto, Jesús María Eguiluz.

The Ertzaintza took out their full dress uniforms in order to welcome the attendants to the Congress at the Lehendakaritza headquarters. The occasion called for it.

Lehendakari José Antonio Ardanza greeted one by one all the attendants to the Congress.

Andoni Ortuzar, General Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and the President of the Basque Parliament, Joseba Leizaola, chat with the congress members and guests after the opening ceremony of the Congress.

The representative of the Venezuelan Delegation, Hugo Díaz de Milano, talks with the Industry, Farming and Fishing Minister of the Basque Government, Javier Retegi.

Lehendakari José Antonio Ardanza listens to the explanations of Iñaki Cabasés, Industry Minister of the Government of Navarre, who was invited to the opening ceremony of the Congress as a representative from Navarre.

Juan Mª Atutxa, Interior Minister, greets the delegates of the Congress with a smile.

Iñaki Irusta and Juan Garaiyurrebaso, President and Director of the Bilbao International Trade Exhibition, conversing with Domeka Etxearte, representative of the Venezuelan Delegation.

The Congress members spent long hours discussing all kind of matters, related to Basque Communities. At the presiding table, the Director of Relations with Basque Communities, Iñaki Aguirre, the General Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Andoni Ortuzar and the Director of Information and Studies, Nieves Martínez de Antoñana.

The Congress members listen to the words from the presiding table. We can see in the picture the Canadian Delegate, Elena Serrano, the Delegates from Australia, José Antonio Urbieta, María Asun Salazar and Carlos Orue.

Carmelo Sainz de la Maza, Parliamentary member for the PNV, and former Secretary of the Presidency; Sabin Intxaurraga, Parliamentary member for Eusko Alkartasuna and President of the Committee of Foreign Affairs; the member of the Advisory Council of Relations with Basque Communities, Iñaki Erkoreka and Iñaki Esnal, and Itziar Aizpurua, Parliamentary member for Herri Batasuna, actively participated in the Congress.

Young John Ysursa and Ramón Cengotitabengoa, both from the United States Delegation, talk about different matters related to the Congress that was about to start.

The Congress members actively participated during the whole Congress. In the picture we can see the Peruvian and Spanish Delegations.

The Congress attracted the attention of the Basque media that went every day to the Lehendakaritza headquarters in order to interview the attendants during the breaks and to gather as much information as they could. In the picture we can see an Euskal Telebista journalist interviewing Roy Eiguren, president of the American Basque Foundation, while a journalist from Telenorte, Televisión Española, interviews a member of the Peruvian Delegation, Francisco Igartua.

After the official closing ceremony of the Congress, Lehendakari Ardanza talked with Andoni Irazusta, Director of the Argentinian Basque Foundation.

Agustín Palacios, the Mexican delegate who read the Congress conclusions, Iñaki Aguirre, Director of Relations with Basque Communities, Andoni Ortuzar, General Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Francisco Igartua, member of the Peruvian delegation and author of the minutes of the Congress, applaud Lehendakari Ardanza´s closing words.

The 1^st World Congress of Basque Communities has just finished and everybody clap their hands with satisfaction and emotion.

After the closing ceremony of the Congress, Lehendakari Ardanza says good-bye to Felipe Muguerza, member of the Argentinian Delegation, at the Ajuria-Enea Palace.

After the official closing the Lehendakari offered a reception at his official residence, the Ajuria-Enea Palace, for all the Congress members. During this reception, he talked with Francisco Igartua, member of the Peruvian Delegation and author of a curious and attractive paper about the external image of Euskadi, and with the Argentinian delegate Begoña Ordoqui.

During the reception offered by Lehendakari Ardanza to his guests at the Ajuria-Enea Palace, there were very emotive moments. The Congress members chatted and sang happily with Lehendakari Ardanza and the Lehendakaritza executives. In the picture we can see Koldo San Sebastián, member of the Advisory Council of Relations with Basque Communities, Lehendakari Ardanza, José Mari Muñoa, the Lehendakari´s commissioner for Foreign Affairs, John Ysursa, United States delegate, and the only French delegate, Mª Carmen Alza.

After the end of the Congress, the members of the different delegations went to the handball court Jai Alai in Vitoria-Gasteiz to watch a handball game.