June 13, 2006 (8:00 p.m. EDT)
No. 64

MINISTER MACKAY WELCOMES NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER

Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Peter MacKay today announced the visit of NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, on June 14 and 15, 2006.

“I am pleased to welcome the Secretary General to Canada so soon after the Alliance’s productive meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April,” said Minister MacKay. “I look forward to discussing our engagement in Afghanistan and the upcoming summit in Riga, Latvia, this November.”

“I am also looking forward to discussing the continued transformation of NATO from a cold war military alliance to a flexible, responsive security organization ready to address the threats and security challenges of the 21st century,” added the Minister. “Through its various missions, NATO plays a key role as a security provider and actively contributes to the campaign against terrorism. Canada intends to continue to play its part to ensure our security and that of our allies.”

Canada has been a member of NATO since it was founded in 1949. Canada benefits from inclusion in NATO through access to strategic information, exercises with allied forces and an equal voice in high-level decisions affecting Euro-Atlantic security and stability. NATO embodies the transatlantic link on which the common security of North America and Europe depends.

While in Ottawa, the Secretary General will also meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and National Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor. This will be the Secretary General’s second official visit to Canada.

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