(No. A/094 – December 2, 2011) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will travel to Europe from December 5 to 9, 2011, to participate in a series of important meetings with Canada’s international partners.
Minister Baird will first attend the International Conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, Germany, on December 5, 2011. This year’s Bonn Conference comes 10 years after the initial Bonn Conference and will help shape the international contribution to Afghanistan’s future.
Minister Baird will then participate in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council in Vilnius, on December 6 and 7, 2011. He and counterparts will discuss a wide range of security and prosperity issues.
On December 8, 2011, Minister Baird will lead the Canadian delegation at the annual NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels. This meeting sets the stage for next year’s NATO Leaders’ Summit in Chicago and will focus on a number of security issues.
Minister Baird will complete his European tour by attending the ministerial meeting on Internet freedom on December 9, 2011, in The Hague. The event will focus on the role of governments, civil society and the private sector in fostering and promoting Internet freedoms around the world.
Minister Baird will host two media availabilities during his packed European tour:
Teleconference following Bonn Conference
Minister Baird will hold a media teleconference following his participation in the Bonn Conference on December 5, 2011.
Event: Media teleconference
Date: Monday, December 5, 2011
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
Media representatives wishing to participate in this media teleconference should dial 1-877-413-4814 (Canada and the United States toll-free) or 613-960-7526. The access code is 7762101.
Teleconference following NATO foreign ministers’ meeting
Minister Baird will hold a media teleconference following his participation in the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting on December 8, 2011.
Event: Media teleconference
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011
Time: 10 a.m. ET
Media representatives wishing to participate in this media teleconference should dial 1-877-413-4814 (Canada and the United States toll-free) or 613-960-7526. The access code is 1868388.
For photos, audio and video released throughout this trip, please visit Minister Baird Attends Security and Prosperity Conferences. Preliminary ministerial quotes for each meeting follow.
For more information, please contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Preliminary Quotes
Minister Baird on the Bonn Conference:
“At Bonn, Canada will work with its international partners to support Afghanistan’s transition,” said Minister Baird. “This conference will build on the great work of our men and women in uniform and secure the investments that Canadians, our allies and the Afghan people have made over the last 10 years in building a better future for all Afghans, especially women and children.”
Minister Baird on the OSCE Ministerial Council:
“Canada will continue to work with participating states on a plan to maximize the OSCE’s effectiveness and, specifically, to promote democracy, human rights and security throughout the region,” said Minister Baird.
Minister Baird on the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting:
“Canada is proud of the role that the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy played in NATO’s Operation Unified Protector, which, under the command of Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, helped protect civilians in Libya,” said Minister Baird. “NATO continues to play an indispensable role in advancing security and prosperity throughout the region and around the world.”
Minister Baird on the ministerial meeting on Internet freedom:
“We have seen the role social media can play in enabling the exercise of fundamental rights such as the right to free speech, and in mobilizing and alerting the world to the abuses of repressive regimes,” said Minister Baird. “Canada will work with other democratic governments to ensure that the Internet is kept open, safe and accessible.”
