17 June 2013
Lough Erne, Northern Ireland
This evening Prime Minister Harper met with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel on the margins of the G-8 Lough Erne Summit. It was their first face-to-face meeting since Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Ottawa in August 2012.
The Leaders had a very good discussion of economic matters including the global economic situation and, in particular the ongoing situation in the Eurozone. Prime Minister emphasized the need for countries to pursue measures for short-term growth while setting out credible medium-term fiscal consolidation plans.
The Chancellor and the Prime Minister underlined their shared priority to conclude a Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as a means to spur jobs and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
The two leaders also exchanged views on international security challenges, most notably the conflict in Syria. They both looked forward to thorough G-8 discussions on these issues and to working together to address them going forward.
