Minister Champagne concludes meetings with ministerial counterparts at Munich Security Conference

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

February 16, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today concluded his attendance at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, where he emphasized Canada’s continued commitment to the rules-based international order and the multilateral institutions that underpin it.

On the margins of the conference, Minister Champagne hosted the second in-person meeting of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752.

At the meeting, the ministers of the coordination group presented a letter in person to Mohammed Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, in which they reaffirmed the need to provide closure, accountability, transparency and justice for the families and the loved ones of all the victims. The ministers also pressed the Iranian foreign minister for timely and equitable compensation consistent with international precedents.

As host of the meeting, Minister Champagne presented the coordination group with a call for action on safer air travel near or over conflict zones that will bring a coalition of countries to improve aviation security and save lives.

While at the conference, Minister Champagne also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts, including:

  • Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League
  • Wang Yi, State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China
  • Tomáš Petříček, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
  • Urmas Reinsalu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
  • Arancha González Laya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain
  • Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France
  • Heiko Maas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany
  • Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran
  • Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait
  • Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
  • Damdin Tsogtbaatar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia
  • Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar
  • Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea
  • Vadym Prystaiko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Quotes

“Canada believes in encouraging consensus that the world’s pressing challenges are best addressed within a multilateral framework. Canada strongly supports this approach and believes that the rules-based international order is the most effective path to sustainable peace and security.”

- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

  • The Munich Security Conference is one of the world’s largest gatherings of its kind and is recognized as an important independent forum for the exchange of ideas on international security policy.

  • Canada has worked with virtually all states in some capacity to help develop and support the current rules-based international order that for 75 years has helped reinforce trust, cooperation, prosperity and stability.

  • Strengthening multilateralism and sustaining peace are two of Canada’s priorities as a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2021-2022 term.

  • Canada is the ninth-largest contributor to the United Nations’ regular and peacekeeping budgets, sixth-largest donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund and eighth-largest contributor to UN funds as a whole and to the organization’s programs and agencies.

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Contacts

Syrine Khoury
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Syrine.Khoury@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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