Ottawa, Ontario 14 March 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that he will travel to Ukraine to meet with the interim Government of Ukraine to discuss the evolving situation there and how Canada can, along with its allies, continue to provide support. The Prime Minister will be in Kyiv on March 22 to meet with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Prime Minister Harper is the first G-7 leader to announce plans to travel to Ukraine since the beginning of this crisis.
The Prime Minister will also attend the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, from March 24-25, and will participate in a bilateral program in the Netherlands from March 23-24. In the Netherlands, he will be accompanied by James Moore, Minister of Industry.
After the Summit, the Prime Minister will travel to Munich and Berlin, Germany, for an official visit from March 26-27. During his travel to Germany, he will be accompanied by Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade.
Ministers Fast and Moore will lead trade missions to the Netherlands and Germany, respectively.
The Nuclear Security Summit will bring together representatives from 53 countries, including all G-20 members and four international organizations. It will provide an opportunity for leaders to discuss ways to prevent nuclear terrorism and the pressing need to further develop and implement internationally-coordinated efforts to enhance nuclear security worldwide. The Summit will also provide an opportunity to highlight Canada’s active role in combating nuclear terrorism, especially through the Global Partnership against the Spread of Materials and Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In the Netherlands, the Prime Minister will meet with his counterpart, Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and have an audience with King Willem-Alexander. In Germany, he will meet with Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and Joachim Gauck, President of Germany. In both countries, leaders will discuss ways to increase trade and investment to further strengthen bilateral relations. They will also discuss international security challenges and the global and European economies. The Prime Minister will also use these opportunities to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the response to it by Canada and its allies.
Finally, the Prime Minister will meet with business and community leaders to promote deeper commercial relations and explore trade and investment opportunities that the Canada-EU Trade Agreement will bring.
