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Senior strategic affairs official Fota on Canadian visit for NATO cooperation, bilateral talks.
Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs Iulian Fota was on an official visit to Canada between May 29 - 31 for political consultations with the Canadian authorities, emphasizing on the occasion the very good cooperation within NATO and at bilateral level, and reaffirming the joint commitment to further support Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said in a release on Tuesday, told Agerpres.
Fota met with Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison, interim Foreign and Defence Policy advisor to the Prime Minister for Privy Council Office Jordan Zed, Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security Heidi Hulan, Assistant Deputy Minister with the National Defence Department Peter Hammerschmidt, as well as with officials from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Also, the Romanian senior strategic affairs official had a meeting with the two co-chairs and other members of the Canada-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Iulian Fota emphasized the very good bilateral relations, also confirmed by the May 24 phone conversation between the prime ministers of the two states. As part of the dialogue on security issues, the Romanian Secretary of State and his Canadian interlocutors highlighted the very good cooperation within NATO and at bilateral level, noting that the Black Sea region is particularly affected by the consequences of the Russian Federation's illegal military aggression against Ukraine.
"The sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to continuing support to Ukraine in order to restore its territorial integrity, as well as to engaging in the post-conflict reconstruction process. Also discussed were the need for international support for reinforcing the resilience of the Republic of Moldova's democratic institutions and security, as well as the management of the economic difficulties generated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Canadian side welcomed the organization in Chisinau, on June 1, 2023, of the Summit of the European Political Community," the release states.
The talks also tackled the stage of bilateral cooperation on civil nuclear energy, with an emphasis on the refurbishment of Unit 1 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the expansion of the facility through the construction of Units 3 and 4, the cited source states.
The sides emphasized the importance of the upcoming NATO Summit that will take place on July 11 - 12 in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the security of the eastern flank of the Alliance.
Iulian Fota's agenda also included a meeting with representatives of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute in Ottawa, with the sides having an in-depth exchange of ideas and assessments regarding the global security situation, as well as a discussion with a group of students from Carleton University - Ottawa, a meeting with university professors of Romanian origin that looked at academic cooperation opportunities such as exchanges of students, researchers and teaching staff, the development of scientific works within mixed teams and the development of joint research projects, the release also notes.
