March 31, 2009
No. 84
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that he will travel on April 1 to Copenhagen, where he will meet with his Danish counterpart, Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller.
“Denmark is a key partner for Canada in advancing our Arctic foreign policy, and we already have a high level of cooperation as fellow members of the Arctic Council,” said Minister Cannon. “I look forward to discussing our approach to the Arctic and other areas of common interest, such as our shared commitment to Afghanistan.”
Minister Cannon’s meeting with Minister Møller is part of a planned series of meetings with his Arctic Council counterparts this year. In May, Denmark will assume the Arctic Council chairmanship, holding it until 2011. Meeting with the Arctic Council members allows Canada to further engage them on the challenges and opportunities unfolding in the Arctic and explore ways to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The two ministers also discussed working cooperatively on issues including the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf.
Through Canada’s Arctic foreign policy, the Government of Canada is delivering on the international dimension of each of the four pillars of its integrated Northern Strategy: protecting Canada’s environmental heritage, promoting economic and social development, exercising Canada’s sovereignty, and improving and devolving governance.
While in Denmark, Minister Cannon will also meet with Halldór Ásgrímsson, the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, to discuss that Council’s work.
In addition, Canada and Denmark are working closely together on a wide range of other international issues, from our commitment as NATO allies in Afghanistan to the recently announced Gaza Counter-Arms Smuggling Initiative.
For more information on Canada’s Arctic foreign policy, please consult
http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.aspx?isRedirect=True&publication_id=386933&language=E&docnumber=2009/11.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
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613-995-1874
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