MEETING G2 IN SEATTLE: THREE CONTINENTS, ONE CROATIA
The 10th anniversary conference of the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP) in Seattle brought together around 250 Croatian professionals, entrepreneurs and representatives of organisations from the USA, Croatia and other parts of the world. Among the participants was the President of the Meeting G2 Association, Antun Krešimir Buterin (Tonči), who took part in the ONE CROATIA panel.
He was joined on the panel by Wanita Kelava, Ivan Orlic Ticeran and Laura Martin del Campo Steta, while the discussion was moderated by Nikola Meteš. It was a meeting of people from different continents, but with a very similar goal: to connect Croatia and its diaspora more strongly and to turn the existing global Croatian network into concrete projects and partnerships.
ONE CROATIA is a joint global initiative of Croatian associations, launched immediately after the devastating earthquake in the Banovina region. What began as a humanitarian campaign has grown into a platform that today connects some thirty Croatian organisations from different parts of the world.
The cooperation between these organisations was one of the central topics of the discussion in Seattle. The Croatian diaspora has a great deal of knowledge, contacts, business experience and capital, but real results come only when these individual strengths are brought together.
Buterin also outlined an ambitious long-term vision: that over the next 20 to 30 years, through a systematic policy of return for Croatian emigrants and their descendants and by attracting people of Croatian origin, Croatia could once again reach a population of around six million.
No single institution or association can achieve such a goal alone. This is exactly why Meeting G2 has for years been building bridges between Croatian business people at home and abroad, connecting individuals and organisations, and working to turn contacts into new business, investment and community projects.
We thank ACAP for the invitation and hospitality, and all the panellists for an excellent discussion and shared energy.
The Croatian business community around the world has much it can achieve together, and meetings like this show how much room for cooperation we still have.
