On the occasion of King’s Day, Belgian Ambassador Johan Verkammen and his wife, Kathleen Billen, hosted a reception at Ottawa City Hall. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Jewish veterans from Canada and the Russian Embassy hosted a memorial concert commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. From left: Israeli Chargé d’Affaires Marc Attali, German Ambassador Sabine Anne Sparwasser, Russian Ambassador Alexander Darchiev and Moshe Ronen, vice-president of the World Jewish Congress. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The 12th European Union Christmas Concert took place at the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. From left: artistic director Timothy Piper; soprano Nadia Petrella; Jackie Hawley, conductor of the Cantiamo Girls Choirs of Ottawa; Kurt Ala-Kantti, conductor of the Harmonia Choir of Ottawa; and Carla MacGregor, of the Ottawa Catholic School Board Chamber Choir. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
“Spirit of Change,” an annual classical concert on Parliament Hill, commemorated the 30th anniversary of democratic transformations in Central and Eastern Europe. The event was hosted by MP Chandra Arya and supported by the embassies of Bulgaria, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland and Slovakia. Violinist Ralitsa Tcholakova, pictured here, performed. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Finnish Ambassador Roy Eriksson and his wife, Victoria, hosted an independence day reception at their residence. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Tong Zhang, wife of Chinese Ambassador Peiwu Cong, hosted a “cultural salon on winter treats,” featuring a concert with national instruments as well as martial arts demonstrations and a cooking show. This musician performed on a Chinese zither, which dates back 2,500 years. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
United Arab Emirates Ambassador Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani hosted an opening reception of the Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed (FBMI) Afghan Peace Carpet Exhibit at the Canadian War Museum’s Barney Danson Theatre. From left: Rick Hillier, former chief of defence staff of the Canadian forces; Ambassador Al Raqbani; his wife, Abeer Sulaiman M.A. Alrayaysah; Shabana Kargar, third secretary of the Afghan embassy; Sayed Mujtaba Ahmadi, deputy head of mission at the Afghan embassy, and FBMI regional manager Farshied Jabarkhyl. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The 2019 Global Pluralism Awards ceremony took place at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. The Aga Khan spoke at the event and presented the awards to the Global Pluralism Award winners. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
In partnership with Students on Ice, Danish Ambassador Hanne Fugi Eskjaer hosted an Arctic evening reception at her residence. From left: Eskjaer and Alison LeClaire, Canada’s ambassador to Russia. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The Estonian film The Little Comrade was shown at the 34th European Union Film Festival at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Estonian Ambassador Toomas Lukk and his wife, Piret Lukk, attended. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
French Ambassador Kareen Rispal gave a lecture titled France and Canada: Strong relations in a challenging world at the Ambassador Speaker Series at the Westin Hotel, organized by the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Shown with Rispal is organizer Lawrence Lederman. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Fifteen teams from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto performed at the 2019 K-POP GALA at the Canadian Museum of History. The event was hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The launch of the new International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) took place at the Ottawa Art Gallery. From left: Tom McSorley, executive director of the Canadian Film Institute, Ontario Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod, Areadna Quintana Castaneda, cultural attaché from the Embassy of Cuba and Costa Rican Ambasssador Mauricio Ortiz Ortiz. The IFFO was to take place March 25 to 29. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The launch of the new authentic Italian halal restaurant, Kara Mia, took place at the Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre. From left: Brunei High Commissioner Kamal Bashah Pg Ahmad, MP Chandra Arya, owner Feroze Shaik and Lebanese economic attaché Vanessa G. Naddaf. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Chinese Ambassador Peiwu Cong and his wife, Tong Zhang, hosted a Chinese New Year reception and concert at the embassy. This dancer performed. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The Nepal embassy hosted a presentation and performance titled Visit Nepal 2020 at the Lord Elgin Hotel. This dancer performed. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
To celebrate Thailand’s National Day and the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thai Chargé d’Affaires Thanapol Wang-Om-Klang and his wife, Kotchason Wang-Om-Klang, hosted a reception at the Canadian War Museum. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
UAE Ambassador Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, shown here, hosted a national day reception at the Canadian Museum of History. Marcy Grossman, Canadian ambassador to the UAE, attended. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The 72nd national day of Sri Lanka was celebrated at the official residence of the Sri Lankan High Commissioner M.A.K. Girihagama. Sri Lankan monks from Ottawa attended the reception. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
In celebration of the 2020 Chinese New Year, Chinese Ambassador Peiwu Cong and his wife, Tong Zhang, hosted a Chinese New Year concert at the National Arts Centre. Laurence Schaller, sales manager for government and protocol at the Fairmont Château Laurier, and Lee Power, administrative assistant to the general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, attended the cocktail reception prior to the concert, which was performed by the Shenzhen Symphony and pianist Haochen Zhang. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
An international Holocaust remembrance event took place at Library Archives Canada. Digital Government Minister Joyce Murray attended. Shown is Pinchas Gutter, a Holocaust survivor who spoke about his own experience. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Twin Scoop, a Japanese group from Toronto, performed prior to a screening of the Japanese film Drowning Love at the Information and Culture Centre in Ottawa. Twin Scoop singers Sarah and Moe are pictured here.
Kazakhstan Ambassador Akyibek Kamaldinov and his wife, Olga Kamaldinova, hosted a national day reception at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Kazakh musician Akerke Tazhibayeva performed with an ancient Kazakh national instrument known as a kobyz. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The Japanese Embassy hosted a sake and food-pairing event at the Information and Culture Centre of the embassy. Mariko Tajiri, an international sake educator and the brand manager for sake importer “That’s Life” in Canada, gave a lecture. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
At the same event, from left, Atsushi Murata, first secretary; Mariko Tajiri; Takeshi Miyake, first secretary; and Sayaka Sakai, attaché (in front). (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Jordanian Ambassador Majed Alqatarneh, left, paid a courtesy call on Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. (Photo: Chris Bricker)
On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the Mexican air force and the 107th anniversary of the Mexican army’s military representation in Canada, officials hosted a reception at the Hilton Garden Inn. From left: Col. Jose Antonio Gomez, Mexican military and air attaché; his wife, Erika; Mexican Ambassador Juan Jose Gomez Camacho; Roxana Reyes and her husband, Col. Roberto Carlos Sanchez, Mexican deputy military and air attaché. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Russian defence attaché Col. Andrey Sboev and his wife, Yulia Sboeva, hosted a luncheon for Ottawa’s Service Attaché Association at Signatures restaurant. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
French Ambassador Kareen Rispal and the Carleton Initiative for Parliamentary and Diplomatic Engagement co-hosted a cocktail reception for diplomats to meet Canadian parliamentarians at the embassy. Mali Ambassador Fatima Braoulé Méïté attended. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The Embassy of the Dominican Republic and its Cultural Heritage Foundation hosted an art exhibition at Ottawa City Hall. Dominican Ambassador Pedro Luciano Verges Ciman is shown here, with one of the paintings. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The embassy of Portugal and the Aga Khan Development Network’s Diplomatic Office hosted a concert by Remigio Pereira, a founding member of The Tenors, at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. From left: Mahmoud Eboo, Ottawa’s resident representative of the Aga Khan; his wife, Karima Eboo; Remigio Pereira, Claudia Pereira and her husband, João Paulo Costa, Portuguese Embassy counsellor and deputy head of mission, after the show. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
Paul Y. Fortin, principal of the Fortin Consulting Group, and Gar Knutson hosted lunch at the Rideau Club to discuss the current events of Canadian politics with members of the diplomatic corps. From left: Vietnamese chargé d’affaires Nguyen Huong Tra, Fortin, Daniel Hohnstein, partner at Tereposky and DeRose LLP., Polish Ambassador Andrzej Kurnicki and Brian R. Naranjo, minister-counsellor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy (Photo: Ülle Baum)
The Westin Hotel hosted a VIP diplomatic reception at its Venue Twenty Two, showcasing culinary creations from Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels and the Westin in Ottawa. From left: Olga Kamaldinova, wife of Kazahkstan Ambassador Akylbek Kamaldinov; Gerald Tan, St. Regis executive pastry chef; Kathleen Billen, wife of Belgian Ambassador Johan Verkammen; and William Rowntree, director of sales and marketing at the St. Regis. (Photo: Ülle Baum)
