December 3, 2014 – Brussels, Belgium
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird represents Canada at the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting. In his meetings with his counterparts, the focus was mainly on issues of global security, such as Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
“Canada will never recognize the annexation of Crimea or Russia’s ‘people’s republics’ in eastern Ukraine,” said Baird during the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. “Canada is resolved to take action; however, our resolve must be met with more concrete measures and an intensification of our collective efforts as an alliance.”
Canada is helping to strengthen the NATO-Ukraine partnership by co-leading on the C4 (command, control, communications and computers) Trust Fund and contributing to improving logistics and standardization in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“So long as Russia continues to occupy and destabilize Ukrainian territory, we must impose serious costs,” said Baird. “For its part, Canada will continue to assist Ukraine, as it follows this path, bilaterally and through multilateral channels, such as those offered by NATO.”