Minister Joly concludes visit to Europe as Canada and its partners stand more united than ever

December 1, 2022 – Łódź, Poland – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today concluded her visit to the Netherlands, Romania and Poland, where she met with partners to engage on peace and security challenges, as well as other shared foreign policy priorities.

In The Hague, Netherlands, Minister Joly met with her counterparts from the Netherlands and Ecuador for a high-level round table discussion during which the ministers committed to work together on fighting corruption to strengthen resilient democracies and promote human rights.

At the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, Minister Joly reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to the Alliance and to working with allies to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unjustifiable invasion, and to address global peace and security threats as well as challenges posed by China. She also participated in a meeting of G7 foreign ministers and other partners during which they discussed the importance of rehabilitating Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The minister concluded her visit in Łódź, Poland, where she met with other participating states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). During her meetings, Minister Joly highlighted Canada’s efforts to safeguard democracy and defend human rights in the region. During a side event on accountability for Ukraine, she announced Canada’s additional funding of $1 million to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) Office of the Prosecutor Trust Fund to increase the ICC’s capacity for looking into conflict-related sexual violence and crimes against children in all of its investigations, including in Ukraine. This announcement supplements previous funding of the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor Trust Fund, bringing Canada’s total contribution to $2 million and making Canada one of the ICC’s top contributors.

Throughout her visit, Minister Joly also engaged in bilateral meetings with her European counterparts to discuss strengthened partnerships on mutual priorities, Canada’s unwavering support of Ukraine and the ongoing protests in Iran. She also highlighted Canada’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy throughout her visit.