December 1, 2024 – Ottawa Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that from December 1 to 4, 2024, she will travel to Riga, Latvia, to attend the second Canada-Baltic “3+1” Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

While in Riga, Minister Joly will participate in the Canada-Baltic “3+1” Foreign Ministers Meeting, at which she will engage with Baiba Braže, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Egidijus Meilūnas, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, and Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. The ministers will discuss key issues relating to Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, NATO’s deterrence and defence posture in Eastern Europe and other regional and global challenges to peace and security.

Minister Joly will also meet with Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkēvičs, to build on the long-standing friendship between Canada and Latvia. They will discuss concerns related to regional and transatlantic security as well as the importance of continued support to Ukraine, which continues to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Minister Joly will also visit the Canadian Task Force Latvia headquarters in Riga, where she will have the opportunity to meet with Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to Latvia and to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to NATO’s efforts as the framework nation for NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia. She will conclude her visit to Latvia by joining her Baltic counterparts for a meeting with Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (Riga).   

Minister Joly will then travel to Brussels to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting where she will reaffirm Canada’s continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity following 1,000 days of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine.

This will be the first foreign ministers’ meeting chaired by NATO’s new secretary general, Mark Rutte. The meeting will also be attended by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, and His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.

While meeting with her NATO counterparts, Minister Joly will engage in conversations on the current global security environment, highlighting years of allied cooperation and historic achievements on security, underpinned by a strong transatlantic bond.