00:07Welcome to this program on Euronews. My guest on 12 Minutes with is Canadian Minister Anita Anand.
00:13Minister, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews. We are at NATO headquarters in Brussels,
00:19but I have to ask you before we get into defense about the politics, because Canada participated in
00:25a meeting, unusually, under the banner of the European political community. Why?
00:30We were the first country to be invited outside of the EPC to the summit, and I attended with
00:39Prime Minister Kearney last week, and we are very enthusiastic about continuing to work
00:45with Europe, with like-minded countries. You see that already in the SAFE agreement,
00:50in the Security and Defense Partnership, in CETA. This is part of a very close alliance and
00:59partnership. And of course, in the European Union, there's now this debate, and obviously we can take
01:05it seriously or lightly, but it's out there, which is, is Canada potentially a member of the EU in the
01:12making? Is that something that you actively consider? Well, look, what we're doing is certainly
01:17since the election of Prime Minister Kearney last year is to diversify our trade relationships and
01:24really double down on this middle power initiative that the Prime Minister outlined in Davos. And that
01:30means working with like-minded countries, especially other middle powers, along a series of metrics,
01:37whether it is security and defense, whether it is economic interest, whether it's agriculture and
01:43agro-food, artificial intelligence. What you're seeing is Canada doubling down on alliances around
01:49the world.
01:49And of course, the Prime Minister made a speech in Davos and made a lot of headlines. He also reiterated
01:54in Armenia that he does believe the global order as we knew it is changing, may not come back,
02:00but the new epicenter may be Europe. I got to ask you, however, would we be here talking with this
02:08tone and sort of this conversation had President Trump not been elected? That is a big question
02:13for Europeans. Is this convenient? Or 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 or
02:56we can
02:56step forward as a middle power, form alliances, and ensure that we're delivering pragmatically for
03:04our 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 the
03:14test of time. This is not a response to Trump too. You believe there is potential now to build
03:19something in the medium, long term. They will stand the test of time. The reason being is that it's not
03:27just a policy response. It's not just a policy response. The policy response is based on like-mindedness,
03:34on shared values, on the belief that territorial integrity, state sovereignty, multilateral trade
03:45are important values that we will continue to work collectively for in the short and the long term.
03:53And I can't leave without mentioning Ukraine. Of course. I'm here in Brussels to announce additional
04:01sanctions, 28 new sanctions against Russian entities and individuals in favor of Ukraine and their position
04:11on Ukraine. We've committed almost $26 billion for Ukraine's sovereignty and the rule of law,
04:20and we will continue to stand with Ukraine in the short and the long term.
04:23And also, I do have to ask you a question, however, on Ukraine. There has been a lot of
04:27side guys over the weekend about whether or not there should be mediation that is no longer the US and
04:32Russia talking together, but also a European delegation. Potentially, I wonder if Canada would be
04:37interested in joining those talks. But do you believe this is now the right time to talk directly to
04:43Russia through the Europeans, 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
05:06particular, we want to see a ceasefire, which Vladimir Zelensky agreed to respect it. And what we've seen is
05:17Russia violating ceasefires, violating commitments, violating international law, unjustifiably and illegally
05:29killing Ukrainian individuals, and stealing Ukrainian children. That's unacceptable. Canada stands firmly
05:38against Russia on all of those measures.
05:41But going back to the issue of mediation, because it seems now that the Ukrainians themselves understand
05:46that at some point, the European Union will have to have one on one conversations with Russia. Otherwise,
05:52it's President Trump who is going to be at the table. It's not clear that he has the best interests
05:56of Europe or Ukraine in mind. If this is a mediator that the Ukrainians agree with,
06:02and the Europeans agree with, will Canada support it?
06:05I want to reiterate, Canada supports the work of the Ukrainian government and President Zelensky. And let's
06:14just say that Ukraine is standing strongly. What you're seeing now, in fact, are countries coming
06:22to Ukraine's defense, as well as coming to Ukraine for their expertise on the battlefield, including
06:29in drone technology.
06:30And on that note, you talk about a world that is in commotion. Obviously, it is in commotion in the
06:34Middle East. At two, 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.
06:59Which they're not doing that.
07:00That means that those retaliatory attacks against Gulf states need to stop. And that means that Iranian
07:10nuclear proliferation needs to be discontinued. And all of those are central to Canada's foreign
07:15policy right 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.
07:33You're exactly right. The ramifications, economically and from a humanitarian perspective,
07:39are deeply troubling and worrisome. The global economy is under severe threat as a result of 20%
07:49of global energy supplies being at a chokehold in the Strait of Hormuz. But it's not just energy,
07:55it's fertilizer, it's helium. And international law dictates that that strait must be open.
08:02And it must be part of the negotiation that the parties are undertaking.
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.
08:16Once 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. But those are
08:38the purview of the Minister of National Defence, and he has been working very closely with colleagues,
08:44as have I on the diplomacy side.
08:47Of 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
08:59and defence now. Crucially, it's imperative. This is a government priority. And yet, I wonder, however,
09:05is that going to be enough to have a constructive summit going into Turkey? What kind of meeting are you
09:12expecting in Turkey? Because if I look at this, the message that I get is not that of a strong
09:17NATO.
09:17There'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 and reaching 5%. And so I will be with the foreign ministers of NATO next week in Sweden to
09:45have the conversation about what to expect in Turkey in July.
09:50But is it constructive? The reason why I ask, is it constructive, is that if I was sitting at the
09:55table,
09:55I'd say there'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 language
10:17is not acceptable.
10:18So I've been around this table for a number of years. I was the Minister of National Defence in 2022,
10:23when Russia further illegally invaded Ukraine and have been participating in these NATO summits.
10:30And I will say that prior to the NATO summit, there is usually a conversation about what would be
10:37delivered. This year, we will again have difficult conversations, but NATO is a resilient organization.
10:44We will not always have complete unanimity, but we will always have participation at the table and
10:55working towards a solution that represents the best interests of collective defence and 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 U.S., 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.
11:35NATO 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 and 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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