Azerbaijan OPEN WORLD delegation visit to Texas

Upon invitation of the Open World Leadership Center and the Center for International Exchanges at the Academy for Educational Development (AED), a small delegation of 4 representatives of different municipalities and regions from Azerbaijan recently visited two small cities in the Houston Metropolitan area to see American style democracy in action. The guests were welcomed by the city management of Bellaire City and West University Place who generously shared with them the ins and outs of running a municipality in the US. In informal and interactive meetings with various departments of the municipality, they learned about all the aspects of running a small city in Texas, about the applicable legislation, the local government structure, about policy development, the discussion and decision making progress, the interaction and cooperation with the public and volunteer projects. The guests were also shown around to witness the practical side of the municipal services such as police, fire brigade, library, schools, sports fields and much more. During their stay, the guests met with the city management and city council members of both cities, one of whom opened his house for a reception to honor their visit. It was at this occasion that the Mayor of the City of Bellaire proclaimed May 17th officially as Azerbaijan Day in the City of Bellaire. To complete the cross cultural experience, the delegates stayed at the homes of open minded and big hearted West U and Bellaire families where they enjoyed a close up view of life in the US. Besides sharing meals and talking about day to day life, the delegates had a chance to join their hosts in their daily activities, visit a church ceremony, a concert, a baseball game and a working cattle ranch outside the city. By now, the delegates will have returned to their homes carrying with them a treasure of work and life experiences to draw from as they further build their own communities in Azerbaijan. In Texas they left behind a lasting impression in the minds of all the friends they made and with all their hosts with whom they shared such an intensive week full of work and play. It is expected that despite the distance these friendships are continued into the future. The Open World Program is a non-partisan initiative of the US Congress which brings small delegations of emerging leaders from Eurasian countries to observe and experience American political, business and community life first-hand as they meet with their professional counterparts, take part in cultural events and stay at the homes of American families. All the program activities were planned and organized with the volunteer input of the designated hosting organization, Houston-Baku Sister City Association, a three decade old organization that seeks to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the citizens of Houston, Texas and Baku, Azerbaijan. About this and other HBSCA projects read at our recently redesigned website below: http://www.houstonbaku.com/new