NR.13.161 - June 2, 2013
SINGAPORE - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, addressed participants of the 12th annual International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Asia Security Summit, about ‘New Trends in Asia-Pacific security’, in Sinagpore, today.
“Over the last decades, the Asia-Pacific region has grown and taken a predominant place in the world,” said Minister MacKay. “Asia has become a global centre of economic gravity. Asia-Pacific security is now part of global security dynamics and however you define it - Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, or Pan-Pacific, Asia has gone global,” he added.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies’Asia Security Summit is the region’s premiere security forum. Canada’s continued high-level participation highlights the importance of Canada’s relationships in the region and our commitment to engagement in Asia-Pacific.
During his speech, Minister MacKay also noted, “Over the years the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have maintained a presence in the Asia-Pacific region, and we’re glad to share our expertise in fields like peacekeeping operations training, civil-military relations, military medicine, counter-terrorism, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. We are looking forward to working with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to contribute to regional security dialogues and we hope to one day be able to extend our contributions into the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus,” he said.
While in Singapore, Minister MacKay, accompanied by General Lawson, the Chief of Defence Staff, took the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Kranji War Cemetery, as well as met with a number of his Asia-Pacific counterparts for bilateral meetings.
“The Canadian Armed Forces is regularly engaged in the Asia-Pacific region through our military exchange programs, ship visits, and our participation in key regional military exercises," said General Lawson. “We have worked hard to build cooperative relationships with a number of our Asia-Pacific counterparts, and it is through the trust and understanding that we have established over the years that we are now better able to work together on issues of mutual interest and importance.”
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are looking to broaden and deepen our efforts in all areas of defence and security. As a Pacific nation, Canada is very interested in contributing to the Asia-Pacific security architecture. The CAF have historically worked with their ASEAN counterparts in areas from land mine clearing to peacekeeping operations and military training.
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