Gov. Gwen sets visits to Russia and Sabah

CEBU – Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is off to another foreign trip in the coming weeks to attend events in Russia and Malaysia. In Russia, Garcia is set to sign a sisterhood pact with the Vladimir Region, whose governor invited her to sign the agreement on September 23.

Gov. Nicolay Vinogradov sent the letter to Garcia through honorary Russian consul Armi Garcia, a cousin-in-law of the Gov. Gwen Garcia.

The lady governor will be accompanied by a delegation from the business sector hoping to forge ties with their counterparts from Russia.

The Vladimir Region was established on August 14, 1944. It is located in central European Russia on the Moscow Uplands.

On the other hand, Garcia is also being invited to be the guest for the Sabah International Expo (SIE) 2008.

The Minister of Industrial Development, Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin, sent the invitation to the Cebu governor.

The Sabah International Expo is Sabah’s premier trade fair and serves as the platform for the convergence of business on diverse areas and industries. The activity is held yearly.

“One of the main objectives of SIE 2008 is to encourage the integration of environmental considerations of all development plans, while unwavering in our resolve to make Sabah a developed and prosperous region,” Minister Datuk wrote the governor.

The activity will be held on October 15.

The presence of the Cebu governor, said Minister Datuk would “certainly contribute to the success of SIE 2008.” SIE 2008 is jointly organized by the Government of Sabah in cooperation of the Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM) and Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) Sabah Branch.

Since its inception in 2000, SIE has become one of the largest and most successful trade events in the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines - East Asean Growth Area).

Early this month Garcia was in Swaziland upon the invitation of King Mswati III to grace their 40th anniversary as an independent state. — Garry B. Lao/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)