The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today met with Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission.
In their meeting, Minister Joly and High Representative Borrell exchanged insights on their recent visits to Ukraine. Minister Joly highlighted her visit with Canadian troops deployed on Operation UNIFIER and their work to support the Security Forces of Ukraine.They spoke about Russia's military buildup, and they discussed international co-operation and the role of organizations such as NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in preventing further destabilizing activities in the region. Minister Joly and High Representative Borrell condemned Russia's aggressive actions and reaffirmed their strong commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Minister Joly and High Representative Borrell agreed that multilateralism and strong transatlantic links are key to addressing challenges in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
Minister Joly and High Representative Borrell also had the opportunity to discuss Canada and the EU's security and defence co-operation, their climate change leadership and their political and humanitarian co-operation in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela.
