December 4, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today concluded the first part of a visit to Europe and the Middle East, during which he attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministerial Council in Basel, Switzerland.
The Ukraine crisis was front and centre at the OSCE ministerial council today, and Baird reaffirmed Canada’s commitment and support for Ukraine and recognized the role that the OSCE needs to play.
“The Russian Federation continues to deny facts and blame others for the current crisis,” said Baird, speaking ahead of his Russian counterpart. “The OSCE must ensure that we drive consensus toward full respect for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in every one of our countries.
“Ultimately, this aggression in Ukraine, and the bad faith shown in talking about it, is not worthy of the Russian people. That is why we must continue to see the situation for what it is and to speak out clearly against it.”
While at the OSCE meeting, Baird also took part in a round table with Mustafa Cemilev, a leading representative of the Crimean Tatars, and had several bilateral meetings with OSCE partners.
At the NATO meeting, Baird participated in discussions on responding to the Putin regime’s aggression in Ukraine and spoke at a United States-led meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, attended by more than 60 coalition partners.
For more information on the meetings, please see Baird Pushes NATO Foreign Ministers to Continue Pressure on Russia, Baird Discusses Iraq on Margins of Brussels Summit and Baird Participates in Round Table on Crimea, Meets with European Counterparts.
For the full text of Baird’s speech, please visit Address by Minister Baird to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Foreign Ministerial Council.
Baird will conclude his travels in Bahrain, where he will attend the Manama Dialogue to further discuss regional and global security issues.
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