Description

Dennis Horak, Canada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia since 2015, he was declared persona non grata and deported on August 5 after the Government of Canada sent a tweet calling for the immediate release of two Saudi activists. With his diplomatic experience in the Middle East, he will discuss trends in this complex part of the world, paying particular attention to Oil Markets; Jamal Khashoggi’s death and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud; Canada’s Foreign Policy on Human Rights; the Iran-Arab dynamic and its repercussions on the region.

Speaker’s Biography

Dennis Horak began his career in the Foreign Service in 1987. Before being named Canada’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen (2015-August 2018), his overseas assignments included Stockholm (1989-1990). ) and Warsaw (1990-1993). In Ottawa, he held positions with the United Nations Division and the Division of Peacebuilding and Democratic Development. His first assignment in Saudi Arabia, with multiple accreditation in Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, dates back to 1996-1999. He then returned to Ottawa to serve in the Middle East Division, responsible for Iraq, Iran and Egypt. Returning to Ottawa after an assignment in London from 2002 to 2006, he held the position of director of the Gulf and Maghreb, after which he returned to the Middle East as Head of Mission in Iran from 2009 to 2012. Before returning to Saudi Arabia as Ambassador, he was, from 2012 to 2015, Director of the Middle East Division. He holds a BA in Political Science from York University and a Masters from the London School of Economics.

Registration

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