Recap: NATO Economy Forum 2016

On March 9, 2016, the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC), in cooperation with the Canadian- Turkish Business Council (CTBC), hosted the international NATO Economy Forum on Mining and Infrastructure at the Ontario Trade and Investment Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

The event featured three prominent speakers, the NAOC members and many country representatives. Following the welcome speech given by the President of the NAOC, Julie Lindhout, H.E. Selçuk Ünal, Ambassador of Turkey to Canada, delivered his remarks on the investment opportunities that Turkey and other Southeastern European countries have to offer to Canadian businesses. For full transcript of H.E Ünal’s remarks, please click here.

The floor was then yielded to Grzegorz Morawski, Consul General of Poland, who presented an overview of the strategic sectors in Poland that offer lucrative business opportunities with Canadian companies. Michael Pickersgill from the Torys Mining and Metal Practice, Ian Atacan, CFO of Silvermet Inc. and lastly, Deniz Tura Matten, an independent investment advisor and energy analyst contributed to the Forum with their presentations where they discussed their professional and personal experiences, in addition to providing different perspectives on these sectors. Interested participants engaged in the discussions during the Q&A session, prior to the networking lunch. You can read more about the content presented and discussed at the Forum by having a closer look at the presentations on Turkey, Kosovo and Poland.

Over 60 people, including many NAOC members, attended the full-day conference. A number of organizations and companies provided support that made the event possible, particularly Ports Toronto and Via Rail Canada.

In the past week, we received a high volume of positive feedback as well as personalized thank you cards and e-mails. Participants have stated that the Forum was a wonderful opportunity not only for the audience to interact with senior dignitaries, but also to learn more about the under-explored investment sectors in Central and Eastern countries.

The NATO Association of Canada is very pleased to have hosted the event and extremely grateful to the organizations and companies that made it possible.

Author

Busra H. Karasu

Busra completed her B.A. at McGill University in Political Science and Sociology with a focus on comparative politics. During her undergraduate studies, she served as an intern at a Brussels-based law firm and as EU Affairs Intern in Istanbul, which deepened her interest in European law and affairs. Before joining the NAOC team, she gained experience in diplomacy at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa for nearly 6 months. Busra is trilingual and her research interests include international law, political sociology and psychology, Turkish foreign policy and EU-Turkey relations. Busra can be reached by e-mail (busrakarasu@gmail.com) or Linkedin (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/busrakarasu).
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