Ian Lucas with the Lesotho team in Wrexham last week
Links between Wrexham and Africa have been cited as a model example for others to follow in building international relations.
As athletes from Lesotho train for the Commonwealth Games around Wrexham this week, the town’s MP is to cite the relationship between the country and the town as one to follow in a speech at a British Council event in London.
Wrexham MP and Shadow Minister for the Middle East and Africa Ian Lucas will be speaking at the Parliamentary event tomorrow on “soft power” – a concept on how countries can use positive, mutual interactions to help build international relationships.
The use of soft power has been recognised as increasingly important in diplomatic circles and Mr Lucas will join a panel assessing its effectiveness and use.
In his speech, he will cite the growing links between Wrexham and Lesotho as a model to build on.
He will say: “As we speak, a living example of “soft power” is happening in my constituency in Wrexham where a party of around 30 athletes from Lesotho in Southern Africa is being hosted by Glyndwr University and preparing for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“The partnership between Wrexham and Lesotho commenced in 2006 aided by the British Council and using the Global Schools’ Partnership introduced by the then Labour Government. Since then, building on Wales’ links to Lesotho in place since the 1980s, almost 100 school students, teachers and staff have travelled between the two countries. In 2012, a small Olympic team was hosted by Glyndwr University and, more broadly, health, education, sporting and cultural links have blossomed.
“There is now a special link – not governmental but people to people.
“For smaller nations and towns away from London, such contacts are invaluable. One of the challenges of “soft power” is to ensure that its benefits extend right across the globe and also right across the UK. For just as there is a danger that, for the outside world, the UK means London, we must ensure that our approach to the outside world takes in smaller countries and not just those seen to be strategically important.”
Speaking today, Mr Lucas added: “I think that for soft power links to work, the relationships they cover should be mutually beneficial. The link between Wrexham and Lesotho is an excellent example of this, with both sides benefiting from their interactions.”
