Minister Joly to travel to Belgium to attend NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

April 2, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will be travelling to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from April 3 to 4.

In Brussels, Minister Joly will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, where she will meet with her NATO counterparts and partners to discuss the current global security environment and welcome Sweden to its first Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as an Ally following its accession to NATO on March 7, 2024.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers will also mark NATO’s 75th anniversary and celebrate the years of cooperation and historic achievements on security, underpinned by a strong transatlantic bond. The ministers will also hold a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting to discuss continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression. Minister Joly will take the opportunity to reaffirm Canada’s continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will reiterate Canada’s position that Ukraine should become a full member of NATO as soon as conditions allow.

Quotes

“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of NATO, the world is facing an increasingly complex political and security environment, making NATO more important than ever in ensuring transatlantic security. I look forward to continuing addressing international security challenges with our NATO Allies and partners while in Brussels.”

- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

  • Canada co-founded NATO in 1949. Today, NATO comprises 32 Allies that are 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 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members currently deployed, it is Canada’s largest international military operation. Canada has been leading the multinational enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Latvia since 2017. In July 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the renewal and expansion of Operation REASSURANCE, committing $2.6 billion to a 3-year mandate, with up to 2,200 CAF troops continuously deployed
    • hosting the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence, located in Montréal, Quebec, and NATO’s North American Regional Office of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, to be located in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    • continuing to support training and capacity-building efforts in the Middle East under Operation IMPACT, including through NATO Mission Iraq, which was set up under Canadian command, and contributing to lasting security and stability in the country
    • providing CAF personnel support to the NATO-led international peace support operation in Kosovo through Operation KOBOLD

  • In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Canada has committed over $13.3 billion to date in financial, military, humanitarian, development, security and stabilization and immigration assistance. This includes over $4 billion worth of military assistance donations to Ukraine, including Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and an armoured recovery vehicle, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System with associated munitions, armoured combat support vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

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