Mayor Francisco Azcué held a meeting with a delegation of authorities from different communes of the Canton of Valais, Switzerland, who arrived in our city within the framework of a protocol and institutional visit carried out by the Swiss Association of Concordia.
The objective was to exchange experiences on territorial development because, although said communities have very different characteristics, both are closely linked to hydroelectric complexes: Salto Grande in Concordia and Grande Dixence in Hérémence.
The delegation was composed of Grégory Logean, President of the Commune of Hérémence, Canton of Valais; Marc-Antoine Genolet, Vice President of the Commune of Hérémence; François Bovier, Municipal Councilor of Hérémence; Bastien Dayer, Municipal Councilor of Hérémence; Yoann Nendaz, Government Secretary and Director of Tourism of Hérémence; Agustin Addy – Valesanos del Mundo Association and Thierry Udrizard, Municipal Councilor of Vex.
During the meeting, they discussed the possibilities of generating future exchanges on topics related to tourism, energy and local development, water resource management, and urban and territorial planning.
Mayor Azcué highlighted the visit of the Valais delegation, remarking in the first place that the city “was forged through a melting pot of communities where Swiss immigrants played a very important role. Beyond keeping in mind where we come from, today we have the responsibility to work for the future of this land, which is why it is in our interest to strengthen ties with the country and the communes they represent.”
“From the Municipality, we understand that there are many issues that can be a benefit, both for you and for us, to be able to develop them jointly; therefore, beyond the protocol greeting, I come to convey to you the commitment of the administration to work to strengthen the ties that allow us to advance with different projects,” emphasized Azcué.
Grégory Logean, President of the Commune of Hérémence, recalled that during the immigration process, around 20,000 people from Valais left their lands to arrive mainly in Argentina, “which is why it is very important for us to revive that twinning, in this case, with Concordia. 170 years ago they left to work the land, and just as at that moment when they planted and sowed, now we must also plant and sow to make this relationship live.”
In that sense, he maintained that Concordia and Hérémence “have in particular the issue of energy development,” indicating that the Grande Dixence is one of the great engineering works of Switzerland, recognized as the highest gravity dam in the world, which fundamentally takes advantage of the elevation of the Alps and the accumulated water coming from a wide alpine and glacial catchment system, which reaches approximately 2,000 MW of installed power.
The Swiss Association of Concordia highlighted and thanked the authorities of Concordia and the delegation of communes of the Canton of Valais for the meeting, which serves to strengthen the ties between our city and the people of Valais, whose traditions, customs, and teachings have been passed down from generation to generation.
The objective was to exchange experiences on territorial development because, although said communities have very different characteristics, both are closely linked to hydroelectric complexes: Salto Grande in Concordia and Grande Dixence in Hérémence.
The delegation was composed of Grégory Logean, President of the Commune of Hérémence, Canton of Valais; Marc-Antoine Genolet, Vice President of the Commune of Hérémence; François Bovier, Municipal Councilor of Hérémence; Bastien Dayer, Municipal Councilor of Hérémence; Yoann Nendaz, Government Secretary and Director of Tourism of Hérémence; Agustin Addy – Valesanos del Mundo Association and Thierry Udrizard, Municipal Councilor of Vex.
During the meeting, they discussed the possibilities of generating future exchanges on topics related to tourism, energy and local development, water resource management, and urban and territorial planning.
Mayor Azcué highlighted the visit of the Valais delegation, remarking in the first place that the city “was forged through a melting pot of communities where Swiss immigrants played a very important role. Beyond keeping in mind where we come from, today we have the responsibility to work for the future of this land, which is why it is in our interest to strengthen ties with the country and the communes they represent.”
“From the Municipality, we understand that there are many issues that can be a benefit, both for you and for us, to be able to develop them jointly; therefore, beyond the protocol greeting, I come to convey to you the commitment of the administration to work to strengthen the ties that allow us to advance with different projects,” emphasized Azcué.
Grégory Logean, President of the Commune of Hérémence, recalled that during the immigration process, around 20,000 people from Valais left their lands to arrive mainly in Argentina, “which is why it is very important for us to revive that twinning, in this case, with Concordia. 170 years ago they left to work the land, and just as at that moment when they planted and sowed, now we must also plant and sow to make this relationship live.”
In that sense, he maintained that Concordia and Hérémence “have in particular the issue of energy development,” indicating that the Grande Dixence is one of the great engineering works of Switzerland, recognized as the highest gravity dam in the world, which fundamentally takes advantage of the elevation of the Alps and the accumulated water coming from a wide alpine and glacial catchment system, which reaches approximately 2,000 MW of installed power.
The Swiss Association of Concordia highlighted and thanked the authorities of Concordia and the delegation of communes of the Canton of Valais for the meeting, which serves to strengthen the ties between our city and the people of Valais, whose traditions, customs, and teachings have been passed down from generation to generation.