Minister Joly to attend NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

April 3, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will visit Brussels, Belgium, from April 4 to 5, 2023, to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting.  

As NATO celebrates 74 years of strength and unity, Minister Joly will meet with NATO Allies and partners to take stock of the evolving security environment and current challenges and to review priorities for Alliance leaders at the upcoming NATO Summit to be held in July.  The Minister and her counterparts also look forward to formally welcoming Finland as a member of the Alliance, following the completion of its historic ratification by all NATO members.

While at NATO, Minister Joly and her counterparts will hold a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, to learn more about Ukraine’s needs in the face of Russia’s continued full-scale invasion. Minister Joly will reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine and underscore the measures it is taking to help Ukrainians defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

NATO foreign ministers will also meet with the Alliance’s four Indo-Pacific partners—Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand—as well as the European Union (EU), to tackle mutual security priorities. Minister Joly will highlight the importance of increased cooperation among NATO, its Indo-Pacific partners and the EU to address shared security challenges.

In addition, Minister Joly will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts to ensure coordinated responses to issues that threaten global security and stability, including steps to support Ukraine, bolster NATO’s deterrence and defence and continue to ensure NATO remains resilient in an increasingly uncertain world.

Quotes

“The world is facing unprecedented challenges. The events of the last year—the largest conventional conflict in Europe since the Second World War—have brought us back to a situation few imagined would ever come again. Authoritarian actors are seeking to challenge the very core of the rules-based international order. But by working together and standing united, we will overcome these challenges. Canada is committed to protecting and promoting the values that we hold dear so that everyone can live in a more peaceful and secure world.”

Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

  • Canada co-founded NATO in 1949. Today, the Alliance consists of 30 member states united in their commitment to transatlantic security and defence. 

  • Current Canadian contributions to NATO include:

    • supporting NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe through Operation REASSURANCE. With approximately 1,100 CAF members currently deployed, it is Canada’s largest international military operation. Canada has been leading the multinational enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia since 2017. Additionally, HMCS Fredericton is currently in the Mediterranean as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, serving as part of the high readiness maritime forces.
    • advising on institutional reforms for, and by, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, through NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) contributing to lasting security and stability in the country; and
    • contributing CAF personnel to the NATO-led peace support operation in Kosovo through Operation KOBOLD.

  • Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $1 billion in military assistance donations to Ukraine. This includes eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks and one armoured recovery vehicle, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System with associated munitions, 39 armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition and high-resolution drone cameras.

Associated links

Contacts

Adrien Blanchard
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Adrien.Blanchard@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
media@international.gc.ca
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