Mayor Gordo to Participate in Democracy Forum in Yerevan, Armenia

Mayor Victor Gordo and three other mayors, will be part of a United States State Department delegation that will participate in the first ever U.S.-Armenia Local Democracy Forum in Yerevan, Armenia on June 17-18.

“I am honored to have been asked by the U.S. State Department to participate in this historic first ever U.S.-Armenia Local Democracy Forum,” said Gordo in a prepared statement.

The State Department’s Subnational Diplomacy Unit and U.S. Embassy Yerevan are organizing the two-day event to strengthen subnational ties between U.S. local leaders and their Armenian counterparts.

During the forum, Mayor Gordo plans to discuss how engagement with local community groups and nonprofit organizations fosters a collaborative approach to governance, improves the effectiveness of municipal services, and strengthens the community’s social fabric.

Mayor Gordo and the delegation will be welcomed by Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the Republic of Armenia.

The event will feature discussions on technical assistance for service delivery, best-practice sharing on how to maintain cross-border relations, ways to build strong democracies at the local level, as well as cultural conversations.

Additionally, participants will have a chance to interact with representatives from private companies in the IT and energy sectors. U.S. Department of State Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, Ambassador Nina Hachigian will join the delegation.

An additional topic that Mayor Gordo intends to discuss is how regional leadership connections facilitate collaboration with neighboring cities, counties, and state governments, which allows for coordinated efforts on issues that transcend municipal boundaries such as transportation, public safety, housing, public health, and environmental management.

The State Department is financing all travel costs (transportation, lodging, and food) for Gordo to participate in the two-day forum.