The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, made the following comments following the conclusion of his meeting with his Italian counterpart on the margins of a special meeting of G7 Energy Ministers in Rome, Italy.
May 5, 2014 Rome Natural Resources Canada
“I had a productive meeting with Minister Guidi today as we discussed the global energy landscape and, in particular, the current challenges in Europe.
“Canada and Italy are committed to pursuing a responsible and stable supply of energy to advance energy security and economic prosperity. We also affirmed our countries’ support for the people of Ukraine who seek to restore unity, democracy and political stability to their country.
“Canada and Italy agree that we must enhance cooperation toward long-term, secure global energy markets. Citizens in both our countries benefit from improving safe, reliable and secure access to energy.
“Energy diversification and energy efficiency are two areas of importance to both Canada and Italy, and we agreed that these are critical to long-term energy security.
“We agreed that the world will continue to depend on fossil fuel energy for many years and that responsible sources of that energy — and use of that energy — are of paramount importance to our continued prosperity.
“I reiterated to Minister Guidi that Canada remains a reliable, secure and responsible supplier of energy to the global market and that we are taking action to expand and modernize our infrastructure so that we can increase energy cooperation that will support greater global energy security.
“We also discussed the European Union’s Fuel Quality Directive, where we shared mutual concerns. Canada supports the EU Commission's objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for transportation fuels but believes it must be based on science and facts.
“I look forward to further discussions with Minister Guidi and other G7 Ministers over the next two days as we work toward a strong, safe and reliable global energy system.”
Alexandra Lemieux
Press Secretary
Office of Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
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