Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, reportedly welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Canada for his first official visit from October 27-28, 2022, and discussed with him their continued cooperation in response to Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and the threat it continues to pose to international security.
“It was a pleasure to welcome Secretary Blinken for his first official visit to Canada…productive discussions over the last two days on Haiti, Ukraine, Iran, the Arctic…look forward to continuing collaborating closely on many shared priorities,” Mélanie Joly has said in a news release.
Being the strongest allies and close partners, the United States and Canada are stronger when they stand together at a time when the rules-based international order is being challenged and democracy is threatened.
They also discussed the situation in Iran, including women and girls, who are at the forefront of challenging the regime’s repressive policies and stopping Iran from providing weapons to Russia’s military to attack Ukraine and sanction Iranian officials who help to suppress human rights.
Among other things, they also discussed ways to restore peace in Haiti and restoring of the supply of fuel, water, and food to meet their basic needs and allow hospitals to respond to the ongoing cholera outbreak.
Other topics of their discussion included efforts to strengthen international peace and security, including through deepened engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, and agreed to hold the first Canada-U.S. Strategic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific in early 2023.
Another top priority for Canada and the U.S. discussed was to strengthen the Arctic by enhancing protection against current and future security challenges affecting the region.
In Ottawa, Blinken and Joly met with Ukrainians who fled the war and Canada has promised to work this winter to help keep Ukrainian citizens safe and warm and provide military assistance to combat Russian aggression.
#CanadaUSPartnership; #MélanieJoly; #AntonyJBlinken
