Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica on a working visit to Canada

From June 1 to June 4, the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukasevica, had a working visit to Canada. On June 2, in Quebec City, the parliamentary secretary participated in the political consultations of the Canadian-Baltic foreign ministers, where a series of foreign policy issues were discussed: the response to Russia's war against Ukraine, measures for the reconstruction of Ukraine, issues on the agenda of the NATO Madrid summit, food and energy security in the world.

The officials visited the Canadian Armed Forces military base in Valcartier, where a meeting was held with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand. The parliamentary secretary expressed gratitude for Canada's contribution to the security of the Baltic region. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica had the opportunity to meet and talk with Canadian soldiers who have served in the NATO eFP mission in Latvia. In the base, a bilateral meeting was held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melania Joly, during which the Three Seas Summit that will be held in Riga on the June 20th-21st, was discussed.

On June 3, a Business session was held in Toronto with representatives from the largest Canadian pension funds, banks, and the energy sector, during which Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, together with the foreign ministers of Canada and Lithuania, had the opportunity to present Canadian private business with investment opportunities in the fields of infrastructure, energy and technology in the Baltics in the region. The parliamentary secretary informed the audience about the Three Seas Investment Fund.

Together with the foreign ministers of Canada and Lithuania, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica participated in the Democracy Forum organized by Toronto Metropolitan University, where a series of geopolitical issues were discussed. After the discussion, a joint interview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania G. Landsbergis and the parliamentary secretary Z. Kalniņa-Lukaševica was held at the Toronto Metropolitan University for the CBC TV program Power&Politics.

On June 4, the parliamentary secretary visited the Canadian Latvian Center in Toronto, where she participated in welcoming the graduates of the 71st graduation of the Saturday School of the Toronto Latvian Society. In the center, together with defense attaché Igors Kļaviņš, she opened the exhibition "Latvijas traģēdija 1941" about the crimes committed by two occupation regimes on the territory of Latvia. After the opening of the exhibition, a hybrid meeting was held with Canadian Latvians, during which the parliamentary secretary was asked questions about the security situation in the region and cooperation with the diaspora.