SHAHEEN DISCUSSES TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS WITH SECRETARY GATES, WORLD LEADERS IN HALIFAX
Shaheen to meet with Canadian businesses to discuss trade with New Hampshire
(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs, today joins a bipartisan Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) at the two-day Halifax International Security Forum. Today, Shaheen will discuss transatlantic relations and global security with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, international leaders, and renowned business executives and academics from around the globe. Shaheen will meet with Canadian businesses tomorrow to discuss the importance of trade and potential trade relationships with New Hampshire.
"The challenges our nation faces in confronting the global financial crisis, climate change, and global security will require international cooperation and coordination, and the Halifax Forum is an opportunity to discuss solutions to our most pressing problems," said Shaheen. "I am pleased to join my colleagues in meeting with international business and political leaders to discuss how we can work together to confront the challenges."
Shaheen met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to discuss Afghanistan early this afternoon in advance of his address to the conference. Shaheen also participated in a panel on global transatlanticism with German Minister of Defense Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg; Yukio Okamoto, president of Okamoto Associates, a strategic business consulting firm based in Japan; and Dr. Ilter Turan, professor of political science at Istanbul Bilgi University. The panel discussion focused NATO, its goals, and its responsibility in the global community.
Tomorrow morning, Shaheen will meet with numerous Canadian businesses from various sectors of the economy at a business roundtable to discuss the importance of trade, and possible trade and travel relationships between New Hampshire, Nova Scotia and other regions of Canada. The session was organized by Shaheen and the Canadian-American Business Council.
"International trade is critical for New Hampshire businesses to expand their customer base, and building and expanding trade relationships with Canada could help many businesses trying to get through this difficult economy," said Shaheen.
As governor of New Hampshire, Shaheen led America's first trade mission to Canada after the September 11 attacks.
The Halifax International Security Forum, hosted by the German Marshall Fund in cooperation with the Government of Canada, is the first major international conference on regional and global security held in North America. Over two days, global leaders in politics, government, business, academia, and media will participate in an interactive debate and intellectual exchange on pressing strategic issues. The forum participants will focus on a variety of policy areas, including Afghanistan, climate change, maritime security, and nuclear non-proliferation.
