(Spirit Lake)– Ambassadors and embassy representatives from 63 countries spent Tuesday night in the Iowa Great Lakes Area. They’re participating in Senator Chuck Grassley’s biennial Ambassador’s Tour of Iowa.
The delegation arrived in Spirit Lake around 5:00 p.m. and toured the Polaris Industries plant. From there they had dinner at the Pavilion in Arnolds Park, before spending the night with host families.
Emil Inozov of Bulgaria is among those participating in the tour. He says they’re very thankful for the opportunity to visit Iowa and to get to know the people and our economy.
Victor Gerdes is from Milowi…a small country in central Africa. He tells KUOO news the trip is an important opportunity for him to compare notes with what’s going on in other countries and to foster economic cooperation between them. He says Iowa and Milowi have a lot in common since both rely heavily on agriculture.
Senator Grassley says having the ambassadors and dignitaries travel through Iowa gives the state a huge advantage in foreign trade. And he says there’s no doubt previous ambassador tours have paid off.
During their swing through northwest Iowa ambassadors will also be stopping in Sioux, Plymouth, Woodbury, Cherokee and Buena Vista counties.
They’ll conclude their Iowa visit Friday with a stop at the State Fair in Des Moines.
