Anita Anand, Canada’s Defence Minister concluded July 28 her participation in the 15th biennial conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA), a forum for defence ministers and secretaries of the Americas to discuss shared defence and security principles, priorities, and values.
This was Anand’s first official trip to Brazil and the first CDMA to be held since she became Minister of National Defence.
The recognition by all CDMA members that conflicts such as the invasion of Ukraine are not legitimate means to settle disputes by was signed by all the members of the Declaration of Brasilia and reaffirms the principles upon which all CDMA member states were founded.
In addition to states’ unanimous declaration of the invasion of Ukraine as not legitimate, Canada Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, the United States of America, and Uruguay reiterated their condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.,
In her bilateral meetings at the Conference, Minister Anand reaffirmed that undermining the principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and territorial integrity upon which nations of the Americas are founded risks safety and prosperity.
Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of choice against Ukraine has resulted in energy prices being soared, trade goods being stuck, grain exports blocked, and food prices skyrocketing – in the Americas, and around the world.
The Declaration of Brasilia also commits to advancing several priority files, including promoting participation in peace operations, preserving the environment and climate resilience, and advancing women’s full and meaningful participation in defence activities.
During her trip to Brasilia, Anand held meetings with counterparts from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay and discussed opportunities to collaborate on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the advancement of women, peace, and security, gender equality, and cyber defence and reiterated Canada’s commitment to peace and stability in the Americas, and noted Canada’s important defence contributions in the hemisphere.
With her counterparts, Anand discussed Canada’s Operation CARIBBE, through which suspicious activity both on the water and in the air is being tracked and intercepted by the Canadian ships and aircraft to disrupt dangerous criminal organizations in the region, and has led to the seizure of more than $620 million (USD) worth of cocaine.
Anand also recounted that the Canadian Armed Forces delivered more than 82,500 kilograms of vital COVID-19-related supplies to countries in this region, during the COVID-19 pandemic, via a hub in Panama, through Operation GLOBE.
Reaffirming Canada’s strong commitment to assisting hemispheric partners facing natural disasters, as the Canadian Armed Forces did during hurricanes Irma, Maria, and Dorian through Operation RENAISSANCE, Anand also highlighted Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Program, which has delivered non-lethal training to over 7,800 students from Latin America and the Caribbean.
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