September 8, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, today issued the following joint statement upon the conclusion of meetings in Ottawa:
“The Canada-EU relationship has never been stronger. This was confirmed once more during our discussions here in Ottawa, where we agreed to further strengthen and broaden the scope of Canada EU cooperation.
“Building on this successful cooperation, we concluded negotiations on the Canada-European Union Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA). This initiative sets out a framework for continued dialogue and cooperation between Canada and the European Union. The SPA complements the expansion of our economic relationship and enhances our commitment to the principles and values of open economies and societies.
“The SPA also outlines our many shared and long-standing values, and the objectives which we are working towards together—such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, international peace and security and effective multilateralism. It consolidates our cooperation on energy, sustainable development and the environment, and opens new opportunities on research and innovation. These and many others are areas in which Canadian and EU expertise can be leveraged to improve lives both at home and around the world."
For more information, please visit: Canada-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement.
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