Toronto – At the behest of Afghan businesses in Canada, more than 150 business people gathered in Toronto Saturday to launch the Canada-Afghanistan Business Council, and help promote trade, business and investment ties between the two nations.

The participants, who included members of other community organizations and leaders, discussed the benefits of creating such an institution, with the aim of helping businesses in networking activities, as well as promotion of business activities within and outside Canada and Afghanistan.

A week earlier, the Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada initially facilitated the gathering of a core group of businessmen from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cities to assess proposals for the formation of such an entity along with Canadian businesses that have some level of business involvement or interest in Afghanistan.

The core group members welcomed the initiative and hosted the Toronto gathering on Saturday with a larger group of supporters.

Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Omar Samad, and Afghan Consul General in Toronto, Mr. Waheed Monawar, participated in the event and welcomed the “timely move by the business community.” Amb. Samad expressed his government’s support for private sector-led initiatives, and promised to work with the Canadian government to promote future economic opportunities between the two countries.

Others, who spoke about the various dimensions of the new entity, included Toronto-based businessman, Mr. Khan Zikria, Montreal-based businessman, Mr. Noor Ali, Ottawa-based businessman, Mr. Nazari and Senior Advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Mr. Taj Yarmand.

Other speakers included Mr. K.V. Kam Rathee President of the Canada-India Business Council, and Mr. Al Bukey Director, Founding Member of the Canadian-Turkish Business Council, who were invited by the host committee to speak about their experiences. Both guests welcomed the initiative and shared valuable ideas and notes with their Afghan-Canadian counterparts.

At the end, the business leaders unanimously decided to launch the Business Council and elected a coordinating body of 13 members to work on organizational by-laws, registration and contacts with other businesses across Canada. It was also decided to hold a formal opening ceremony at the earliest convenience.

September 9, 2006