In the sixth event in Global Atlanta’s Consular Conversations Series on Jan. 20, 2017, the editorial team will be interviewing Belgium’s Consul General in Atlanta, William de Baets.

Topics of discussion will likely include:

• Objectives of the consulate, which covers multiple Southern states
• World War I centennial celebrations
• Role of Belgium in Europe’s future
• Belgian investment and manufacturing in the South
• Transatlantic security and alliances in the age of Trump and a fractious EU
• Belgium 101: A look at the political structure of the country
• Educational exchanges between Georgia and Belgium

…and more.

The format:

• Catered light lunch with soft drinks
• One-on-one conversation with the Global Atlanta editorial team, followed by moderated audience Q&A
• Discussion covered by Global Atlanta and published in a later article

Our speaker:

William De Baets was named consul general in Atlanta in April 2016. He brings to this posting 16 years of diplomatic experience acquired in Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Brussels, where he headed the Foreign Affairs Crisis Center and B-FAST, and Washington, DC. In Washington he focused on political-military affairs under the leadership of Ambassador Verbeke. Before joining the diplomatic service, William De Baets served 9 years in the Belgian Navy, both on board and in headquarters.

To read summaries of previous events on the UK, Ireland, Mexico, India and France, click here.