The very good bilateral relations between Canada with Greece and Cyprus were reaffirmed at a discussion at the Toronto Economic Forum II by Greek Ambassador to Canada Konstantina Athanassiadou.
The Forum was held on Monday and organised by the Delphi Economic Forum in collaboration with the Hellenic Initiative-Canada, the Hellenic-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hellenic-Canadian Board of Trade.
Athanassiadou underlined that the relations are excellent and based on principles, "we are friends and allies. We are on the same side, the right side of history."
She also noted that despite the excellent level of relations, there are still many things that could be done estimating that apart from CETA there are many sectors on which we can develop this partnership, noting that the health economic relations always go together with the democratic values and respect.
On her part the Ambassador of Canada to Greece and High Commissioner of Canada to Cyprus Karine Asselin stated: "Our relations were never better. Our relations are warm and friendly but also dynamic," noting that the bilateral trade and investing bonds are steadily developing.
She also referred to the common democratic principles and values of Canada and Greece, the promotion of legal order and the respect to the law underlining that Greece and Cyprus are "stable democracies and very important for us".
Asselin expressed the hope that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will accept his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau's invitation to visit Canada in 2024 with the Greek Ambassador adding that if this visit happens, "it would be a historic step in our bilateral relations."
The Canadian Ambassador also thanked all the Greek authorities and all those that helped in the repatriation of the Canadian citizens from Tel Aviv via the International Airport of Athens.
Toronto Economic Forum II-Eldorado Gold's assets in Greece are key to its strategic development plans, its CEO says
Eldorado Gold's assets in Greece are key to its strategic development plans, the CEO of the Canadian company, George Burns, said speaking at the Toronto Economic Forum II, organized by the Delphi Economic Forum in collaboration with the Hellenic Initiative-Canada, the Hellenic-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hellenic-Canadian Board of Trade.
"We currently have 12 million ounces of gold in proven and probable reserves, 41% of those within Greece. We also have an ongoing exploration programme that continues to replenish and grow our resources and reserves. For 30 years, Eldorado Gold has been breaking new ground in the mining sector, and our sustained success is founded on three pillars.
1. A diversified portfolio of high-quality, long-life assets;
2. An unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability;
3. And a series of strategic growth projects unique amongst our peers. And key to that third pillar are our assets in Greece, where we operate the Olympias underground mine, and we are advancing our transformational Skouries project," he said and added:
"We have been the owner for a little over a decade and we have made significant investments in the mine which is continuing to ramp up its productivity. But further, we are also investing in addressing the environmental legacies of past operators. Mining activities by the previous project owners left behind more than 3 million tonnes of tailings waste. We are removing the old tailings and restoring the soil so that it can support vegetation once again in one of the largest rehabilitation projects in Greece. In fact, today at Olympias we operate a 15-hectare nursery where we grow about one million plants from 300 different plant species."
This is all part of our commitment to responsible mining - because mining today is not the mining industry of yesterday. You'll see that commitment again at our Skouries project, located about an hour's drive from Olympias.
Burns underlined that the copper byproduct at Skouries is so significant that we will become one of the largest copper producers in the European Union.
"And we are proud of the role that Skouries will have in contributing towards Europe's self-sufficiency of copper over other third-party sources.
We are in full construction and the project is already ~2/3 built. Commercial production is expected at the end of 2025.
Both Olympias and Skouries have the potential to turn into world-class mines that can act as catalysts of transformation both for our company and Greece."
He also confirmed interest in Perama Hill. "We also have our eyes set on Perama Hill, another strategic growth project located near Thrace. Perama is another potential low-cost high-grade gold-silver mine that could further transform Eldorado and the mining industry in Greece.
In fact, in combination with our other assets, Perama would solidify Greece as one of Europe's largest gold producers. This is the opportunity before us - and through our investments we believe we are showing confidence in Greece and its future."
READ MORE: Forbes on Ellinikon: Greece Will Soon Be Home To Europe’s Largest Coastal Park.
