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Letter: Yes, we care about Ukraine

(Ivan Valencia | AP file photo) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a visit to an anti-narcotics police base in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.

Yes, Secretary Pompeo, I care about Ukraine, and thousands of Utahns do, too. In fact, we care about Syria and Palestine and Guatemala, too. And we can find those countries on a map.

I’ve been privileged to work as a “citizen diplomat” for more than 20 years through the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy (UCCD). Since 1967, UCCD has served as a nonpartisan, private-sector partner with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program to welcome foreign leaders to the U.S. and Utah.

I’ve been honored to meet journalists, educators, global health professionals and environmental policy makers, to name a few. I, and thousands of Utah volunteers, have the opportunity to meet with them to share firsthand the triumphs and struggles we all face both personally and professionally. This program has expanded my worldview and opened my heart to the challenges so many people contend with daily.

So yes, Secretary Pompeo, I care about Ukraine a lot.

Laura Dupuy, Salt Lake City

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