LEWISTON — Six members of the Chechen Republic Parliament will spend the day in Lewiston-Auburn Wednesday as part of their visit to Maine to experience American-style democracy at the local level.
The group arrived on Friday. Their visit is sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress.
The center selected Maine for the visit because of the work of University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College Associate Professor Barry Rodrigue. Rodrigue and his students have worked to provide assistance with war-torn Chechnya, according to a USM news release. Rodrigue and his students have founded the American-Caucasus Work Group to raise awareness of the impact of years of war, and to provide humanitarian aid. The group is working to finalize a sister-city, sister-state project.
Chechnya, which has a population of about 1.2 million, similar to the size of Maine, is surrounded by Russian territory and along with Georgia.
While in Maine the delegation will visit the Bath YMCA and a farmer’s market, the Maine State Museum in Augusta, meet with a lobsterman, tour a homeless shelter and meet with former Gov. Angus King in Brunswick. The delegation will also tour Hancock County and meet with the Passamaquoddy Tribal Government in Indian Township.
When the delegation arrives in Lewiston on Wednesday, members are scheduled to tour the Maine Public Broadcasting Network television and radio studio, and talk about the freedom of the media with “Maine Watch” show producer Frank Ferrell.
They’ll be the guests of a reception at the Lewiston-Auburn College, tour the college, give a presentation about their vision of the future. They’re scheduled to eat lunch and shop on Lisbon Street. Some will then tour Museum L-A, others will visit the Androscoggin court house, jail and meet with Sheriff Guy Desjardins.
Because of Rodrigue, the college has had a long-standing relationship with some from Chechnya, including academics and clerics, said Associate Dean for Community Relations Jan Phillips. “This is a unique opportunity to bring a group of public officials from Chechnya to see the whole state,” Phillips said.
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