00:07Welcome to this program on Euronews. My guest on 12 Minutes with is Canadian Minister Anita
00:12Anand. Minister, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews. We are at NATO headquarters
00:18in Brussels, but I have to ask you before we get into defense about the politics,
00:23because Canada participated in a meeting, unusually, under the banner of the European
00:28political community. Why? We were the first country to be invited outside of the EPC to the
00:37summit, and I attended with Prime Minister Carney last week, and we are very enthusiastic about
00:44continuing to work with Europe, with like-minded countries. You see that already in the SAFE
00:50agreement, in the Security and Defense Partnership, in CETA. This is part of a very close
00:58alliance and partnership. And of course, in the European Union, there's now this debate,
01:04and obviously we can take it seriously or lightly, but it's out there, which is,
01:08is Canada potentially a member of the EU in the making? Is that something that you actively consider?
01:15Well, look, what we're doing is certainly since the election of Prime Minister Carney last year,
01:21is to diversify our trade relationships and really double down on this middle power initiative that the
01:28Prime Minister outlined in Davos. And that means working with like-minded countries, especially
01:34other middle powers, along a series of metrics, whether it is security and defense, whether it is
01:40economic interest, whether it's agriculture and agri-food, artificial intelligence. What you're seeing
01:46is Canada doubling down on alliances around the world. And of course, the Prime Minister made a
01:51speech in Davos and made a lot of headlines. He also reiterated in Armenia that he does believe
01:56the global order as we knew it is changing, may not come back, but the new epicenter may be Europe.
02:03I got to ask you, however, would we be here talking with this tone and sort of this conversation
02:09had President Trump not been elected? That is a big question for Europeans. Is this convenient,
02:14or is this actually a relationship that makes sense?
02:17What I believe we should be looking to is how can we work together pragmatically for our respective
02:25countries in order to deliver economic benefits and defense and security benefits? That's what we're
02:33focused on in Canada. And indeed, over the last year, we've signed over 20 security, defense and
02:40economic agreements around the world. And we're just getting started. Prime Minister Carney referred
02:46to it as a rupture in the global system. What this rupture means is that we can either retreat,
02:55or we can step forward as a middle power, form alliances, and ensure that we're delivering
03:03pragmatically for our domestic population. That's exactly Canada's approach right now.
03:09Just to fully understand for a European audience, what you say is these relations will now stand
03:14the test of time. This is not a response to Trump too. You believe there is potential now
03:19to build something in the medium, long term?
03:21They will stand the test of time. The reason being is that it's not just a policy response.
03:29The policy response is based on like-mindedness, on shared values, on the belief that territorial
03:39integrity, state sovereignty, multilateral trade are important values that we will continue to work
03:49collectively for in the short and the long term. And I can't leave without mentioning Ukraine.
03:56I'm here in Brussels to announce additional sanctions, 28 new sanctions against Russian entities and
04:06individuals in favor of Ukraine and their position on Ukraine. We've committed almost $26 billion
04:17for Ukraine's sovereignty and the rule of law, and we will continue to stand with Ukraine in the short
04:23and the long term.
04:23And also, I do have to ask you a question, however, on Ukraine. There has been a lot of
04:27sideguys over the weekend about whether or not there should be mediation that is no longer the US and Russia
04:33talking together, but also a European delegation. Potentially, I wonder if Canada would be interested in joining
04:38those talks. But do you believe this is now the right time to talk directly to Russia through the
04:44Europeans, not the United States?
04:46I will say, and I've said it before, that the decisions about Ukraine's future rest with President
04:54Zelensky. We believe that any mediator that is chosen must be one that Ukraine agrees with. And in particular,
05:06we want to see a ceasefire, which Vladimir Zelensky agreed to respect it. And what we've seen is Russia
05:18violating ceasefires, violating commitments, violating international law, unjustifiably and illegally
05:27killing Ukrainian individuals, soldiers and stealing Ukrainian children. That's unacceptable.
05:37Canada stands firmly against Russia on all of those measures.
05:41But going back to the issue of mediation, because it seems now that the Ukrainians themselves understand that at some
05:47point, the European Union will have to have one on one conversations with Russia. Otherwise, it's President Trump
05:53who is going to be at the table. It's not clear that he has the best interests of Europe or
05:57Ukraine in mind.
05:59If this is a mediator that the Ukrainians agree with, and the Europeans agree with, will Canada support it?
06:05I want to reiterate, Canada supports the work of the Ukrainian government and President Zelensky.
06:13And let's just say that Ukraine is standing strongly. What you're seeing now, in fact,
06:21are countries coming to Ukraine's defense, as well as coming to Ukraine for their expertise
06:27on the battlefield, including in drone technology.
06:30And on that note, you talk about a world that is in commotion. Obviously, it is in commotion in
06:34the Middle East, too. First President Trump has also indicated that he believes NATO countries,
06:39countries that should have helped, have not done anything for NATO, and they are totally a paper
06:44tiger. How do you see your position evolving in the situation in the Middle East?
06:48Middle East ceasefire needs to be permanent. And that means that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be
06:57freely navigable as required under international law. Which they're not doing that.
07:00That means that those retaliatory attacks against Gulf states need to stop. And that means that Iranian
07:09nuclear proliferation needs to be discontinued. And all of those are central to Canada's foreign policy.
07:16Right now, we are standing with our partners in the Gulf.
07:20But when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, who's going to reopen the Strait of Hormuz? Because this is
07:23causing massive ramifications around the world. Global economy in Europe, we talk about stagflation,
07:29potentially a recession. Who's going to reopen it? Because it's clear the US cannot do it alone.
07:34You're exactly right. The ramifications, economically and from a humanitarian perspective,
07:40are deeply troubling and worrisome. The global economy
07:44is under severe threat as a result of 20% of global energy supplies being at a chokehold in
07:52the Strait of Hormuz. But it's not just energy. It's fertilizer. It's helium. And international law
07:59dictates that that Strait must be open. And it must be part of the negotiation that the parties are
08:07undertaking.
08:08So your position is not changing. As long as a war, there's a hot face, you're not getting involved.
08:12If there is a resolution on the table, then you could consider being part of this navigation mission.
08:17Once there is a permanent ceasefire in place, Canada would be prepared to consider ways of contributing,
08:26such as in demining expertise, or in cyber expertise, or in data and knowledge and logistics.
08:37But those are the purview of the Minister of National Defence.
08:41And he has been working very closely with colleagues, as have I, on the diplomacy side.
08:46Of course, and Minister, looking forward to NATO. Of course, Canada now got to the 2%
08:52spending of GDP. Canada, of course, and Canada have also said repeatedly that it will take security and
08:59defence now. Crucially, it's imperative that this is a government priority. And yet, I wonder,
09:04however, is that going to be enough to have a constructive summit going into Turkey? What kind
09:11of meeting are you expecting in Turkey? Because if I look at this, the message that I get is not
09:16that of a strong NATO. There's a lot of tensions within the institution.
09:20NATO is a resilient organisation. Canada is a founding member of NATO, and we will always stay at the table
09:29to have the difficult conversations, as we did in reaching 2%, as all of the countries agreed to last
09:37year in reaching 5%. And so, I will be with the foreign ministers of NATO next week in Sweden to
09:45have
09:45the conversation about what to expect in Turkey in July.
09:51The reason why I ask, is it constructive, is that if I was sitting at the table, I'd say,
09:55there's a lot of expectations on allies. They need to help. They need to pay. They now need
10:00to pay 5%. And what I hear in retribution is language that, at times, is not just aggressive,
10:06but it's disrespectful. It is disrespectful to allies. Is that something that you factor in
10:12these conversations to say, yes, we are constructive, but we need to see a different mood, too? This
10:17language is not acceptable.
10:18So, I've been around this table for a number of years. I was the Minister of National Defence
10:22in 2022, when Russia further illegally invaded Ukraine, and have been participating in these
10:29NATO summits. And I will say that prior to the NATO summit, there is usually a conversation about
10:36what would be delivered. This year, we will again have difficult conversations, but NATO is a resilient
10:44organisation. We will not always have complete unanimity, but we will always have participation
10:53at the table and working towards a solution that represents the best interests of collective defence
11:00and security.
11:01And just finally, what assessment do you make of the performance of the Secretary General?
11:05As you know, particularly here in Europe, he has come under pressure by a number of European
11:08countries who say, your job is to cater to the alliance, not one member state. And that is,
11:13of course, a US, a reference to President Trump. Is that something that you would subscribe?
11:19This is a Secretary General that needs to work for all?
11:21He has been a very significant partner for us, especially on the Arctic. You'll recall,
11:27we were pressing when we were opening that consulate in Greenland for an Arctic strategy from NATO. And
11:36NATO came forward with Arctic Century, which is an operation, we'll have a deeper conversation about a
11:44broader Arctic strategy. So yes, I look forward to working with Secretary Ruta in the months
11:51and years to come.
11:52Well, Minister, thank you so much for joining us on your news. I appreciate it.
11:55Thank you so much.
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