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Canadian FM to visit Warsaw for talks on Ukraine

30.01.2024 12:00
Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly will visit Warsaw this week to meet with her Polish counterpart and other officials for talks on bilateral ties and Russia's war against Ukraine, the Canadian government has announced.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via PAP/Abaca

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears the end of its second year, Joly said on Monday that she would travel to Moldova and Poland "from January 29 to February 1" to meet with her counterparts and senior government officials and discuss shared priorities, according to a statement released by the Canadian government. 

While in Chișinău, Joly will meet with senior Moldovan government officials, including President Maia Sandu, parliamentary Speaker Igor Grosu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Foreign Minister Mihail Popșoi, the statement said.

During these meetings, Joly is expected to "reaffirm Canada’s support for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for their fight to combat Russian efforts to undermine their democracy through the weaponization of disinformation."

During her visit to Warsaw, Joly will meet with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and lower-house Speaker Szymon Hołownia "to discuss respective plans to continue supporting Ukraine, to promote human rights, to prevent regional security threats from Russia and Belarus, and to identify further opportunities to collaborate bilaterally and multilaterally," the statement added.

She will also meet with "representatives of humanitarian organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies, the Ukrainian House Foundation, and the Educational and Development Centre, who all support Ukrainian refugees in Poland."

Joly said ahead of the visit: "I look forward to meeting my new Polish counterpart and build upon Canada and Poland’s deep friendship, and work together to bolster peace and security along NATO’s eastern flank.”

The statement noted that Poland and Canada have strong bilateral relations and are close NATO allies. It also said that around 1 million Canadians claim Polish heritage, making Canada one of the largest Polish diasporas worldwide.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

Tuesday is day 706 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: PAPcanada.ca