Ambassador Davidson's Address

 
- Thank you President Daaboul. It is always a pleasure to meet with SYCAB members.
 
- I would like to welcome the Honorable Lyle Stewart, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Innovation of Saskatchewan, and his delegation.
 
- I am also taking the opportunity to welcome the President of the Lebanese-Canadian Business Association (LCBA), Mr. Arslan Sinno and his colleagues, as well as Mr. Fayeg Tadros representing the board of the Jordanian-Canadian Business Association (JOCABA). They came to Damascus today specifically for this occasion. My thanks to SYCAB for inviting them and I welcome the increasing cooperation between the three associations in order to enhance commercial ties between the region and Canada.
 
- Minister Stewart's visit to Syria is part of a broader regional engagement, and follows meetings he had in Turkey  in the past few days with the pulses industry.
 
- Saskatchewan is not new to Syria. The University of Saskatchewan and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), near Aleppo, have cooperated for many years in the area of crop development. Food producers and traders from Saskatchewan and Syria have also been doing business together.
 
- The Minister's visit provides a good opportunity to accelerate these exchanges. I hope this will be followed by regular visits by Saskatachewan economic agencies such as the Saskatchewan Trade and Exports Partnership (STEP) and Enterprise Saskatchewan, represented today, as well as by private firms from Saskatchewan, in order to have more detailed discussions with the business community and ensure momentum.
 
- Conversely, I also hope that this visit to Syria will be followed by missions to Saskatchewan and Canada by SYCAB members - it will give an opportunity to see first-hand what Saskatchewan has to offer, not only in the agriculture and food area but also in other industries. My team and I will be pleased to work with you in this regard.
 
- I would now invite Minister Stewart to say a few words....

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