Minister Joly to attend NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels

April 3, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will visit Brussels, Belgium, from April 4 to 5, 2023, to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting.  

As NATO celebrates 74 years of strength and unity, Minister Joly will meet with NATO Allies and partners to take stock of the evolving security environment and current challenges and to review priorities for Alliance leaders at the upcoming NATO Summit to be held in July.  The Minister and her counterparts also look forward to formally welcoming Finland as a member of the Alliance, following the completion of its historic ratification by all NATO members.

While at NATO, Minister Joly and her counterparts will hold a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, to learn more about Ukraine’s needs in the face of Russia’s continued full-scale invasion. Minister Joly will reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine and underscore the measures it is taking to help Ukrainians defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

NATO foreign ministers will also meet with the Alliance’s four Indo-Pacific partners—Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand—as well as the European Union (EU), to tackle mutual security priorities. Minister Joly will highlight the importance of increased cooperation among NATO, its Indo-Pacific partners and the EU to address shared security challenges.

In addition, Minister Joly will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts to ensure coordinated responses to issues that threaten global security and stability, including steps to support Ukraine, bolster NATO’s deterrence and defence and continue to ensure NATO remains resilient in an increasingly uncertain world.