SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you all for being here with us today.
Secretary Mattis and I are very pleased to welcome our Canadian counterparts,
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Defense Harjit Sajjan, to Washington.
Welcome.
It was a great day, and indeed, it was my honor to host this State Department 2+2 Strategic Dialogue,
and it’s a great opportunity for us to have gotten some serious work done,
but it’s also a discussion amongst friends.
The four of us have gotten to know each other quite well.
We’ve achieved a lot together.
Our meeting today comes after the historic signing
of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,
which was a tremendous victory for all three countries.
I want to especially thank Minister Freeland for her efforts to make this happen.
Look, the final deal is a home run.
It modernizes NAFTA to address 21st century issues, 21st century economy, open trade and
business, opportunities for United States farmers and manufacturers, reduce trade barriers
amongst the three countries.
In today’s meeting, the four of us discussed how we can continue to build off of this,
take this achievement and make progress
on a worldwide range of bilateral and global issues.
On the bilateral front, we discussed our joint efforts to ensure North America is vigorously
protected by both our militaries in close cooperation with one another.
We also had the chance to discuss our bilateral cooperation to promote economic security by
countering technology transfers, intellectual property theft, and other attempts to acquire
sensitive technology from our two countries.
This will enhance security by ensuring our economic competitiveness and preserving
our military capabilities.
These joint efforts support a comprehensive trading relationship and millions of jobs
in our two countries.
In addition to domestic priorities, we worked through a range of global issues as well.
We talked about our work in collaboration as members of NATO.
We discussed our response to the situation in Ukraine.
I expressed my concern over Russia’s recent aggression in the Sea of Azov,
where it rammed and opened fire on Ukrainian vessels.
We also had the important opportunity to discuss our shared commitment to improving security
in Iraq, where our nations have both made tremendous sacrifices in the name of freedom.
I spoke, too, of the importance of applying pressure on the Iranian regime to stop its
efforts to undermine Iraq’s democracy and security.
It was great to talk about how we’ve worked closely together on North Korea, and I thank
my Canadian counterparts for enforcing all of the UN Security Council resolutions and
encouraging other countries to maintain pressure as well.
Of course, given the close relationship between the United States and Canada,
disagreements will undoubtedly arise from time to time,
but our countries have always worked closely together
to resolve these challenges, including through regular and open dialogue
like we’ve had had here today.
I am very confident that as rough patches emerge,
we’ll work through each of those challenges.
With that, I’d like to turn things over to Foreign Minister Freeland to make a few remarks,
and then if you’d introduce Secretary Mattis, that’d be great.
FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Okay.
Thank you, Mike.
Merci beaucoup.
Bonjour, tout le monde.
(Via interpreter) Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here.
First of all, I would like to thank the Secretary of State Pompeo and the Secretary of Defense
Mattis for their warm welcome today.
Canada and the U.S. have one of the closest relationships in the whole entire world.
We are allies and partners in areas such as trade, border protection, and of course, hemispheric
defense and international security, especially through NATO and NORAD.
I would like to thank our hosts for giving us the opportunity to meet here today and
to further discuss these topics as well as other issues
of common interest for our two countries.
(In English) There are no closer partners in the world than Canada and the United States.
We share the world’s longest undefended border
and we are each other’s largest export market.
Since the Second World War, we have worked side by side to build the rules-based international
order and to fight for liberal democracy around the world.
This 2+2 meeting has been in the works for a while and it is a real pleasure to have
been able to spend some time with our U.S. colleagues here in Washington to discuss
our bilateral relationship and also some of the global challenges
that we’re confronting together.
As is always the case when we meet, we discussed a number of issues around foreign policy, defense,
and international security that reflect the deeply shared values that unite our two countries.
We discussed China and the case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, building on a conversation
that Secretary Pompeo and I began soon after her arrest.
We all agree that the most important thing we can do is to uphold the rule of law,
ensure that Ms. Meng’s right to due process is respected,
and that the current judicial process in Canada remains apolitical.
We also discussed some consular issues,
two which are very concerning for Canada today:
the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
On Russia and Ukraine, Minister Sajjan and I expressed our condemnation of Russia’s
harassment of shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait,
and in particular its recent aggressive action towards
an illegal seizure of three Ukrainian vessels on November 25th
and the imprisonment of Ukrainian sailors.
We call on Russia to release these sailors.
Canada unwaveringly supports the people of Ukraine,
its sovereignty, and territorial integrity
within its internationally recognized borders.
We touched on some hemispheric issues,
including the brutal authoritarian regime that is causing a dangerous crisis in Venezuela
as well as troubling developments in Nicaragua.
We took the opportunity to reiterate our support for the United States efforts towards
a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and our efforts in the area of sanctions evasion.
In an ever-changing global landscape,
it’s important that countries are able to nimbly respond to flagrant violations
of the international order.
An effective and targeted sanctions regime is key to this.
Canada and the U.S. both have Magnitsky legislation,
and we discussed ways to work together even more closely in this area.
As a founding member of NATO, Canada will continue to do its part for transatlantic
security and stability.
My colleague, Minister Sajjan, Harj, will speak to some of the important work
that we’re doing alongside the U.S. and NATO
and as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh.
As Mike said, we spoke about our trading relationship,
and we talked about the fact that we now have
a modernized trade agreement for our continent.
And I do agree with Mike that this is a good deal for all three countries.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Minister Sajjan and I did raise one
of those difficult bilateral issues that Mike referred to: the U.S. imposition of steel
and aluminum tariffs under Section 232.
Canada continues to take the view that these tariffs are unjust and illegal,
and we spoke to our partners about how the national security justification for these tariffs
we believe is inconsistent with our close relationship.
I met earlier today with Ambassador Lighthizer,
and we also discussed the 232 tariffs this morning.
The close relationship between Canada and the United States is a model for integration
and creative collaboration on the world stage, and today was a great opportunity to talk
about how we can work even more closely together on our continent and around the world.
I’d like to thank you again, Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Mattis, for hosting us.
Canada deeply values and appreciates our partnership and opportunities to continue to work
even more closely together.
And it is now my pleasure to introduce a tremendous public servant, a great friend of Canada,
Secretary Mattis.
SECRETARY MATTIS: Well, thank you, Minister Freeland, and I echo Secretary Pompeo’s
comment that ours was a discussion among friends.
Minister Sajjan and I last saw one another just eight days ago in Ottawa,
and today’s meeting signals how our two militaries work
to stay closely aligned on a range of issues worldwide.
For Americans feel an enduring, almost familiar kinship with Canada, and in my case it is familial.
My mother’s family immigrated to America after my grandfather was wounded in action
in World War I in the Canadian infantry.
Canadian and American forces have fought bravely alongside each other in the Great War,
at Normandy, to Kandahar, Afghanistan following the 9/11 attack on our country.
And today we continue our cooperation in pursuit of our mutual security.
We are united in the North American Air Defense Command, where Canadian and U.S. fighters
together guard the skies above North America and our 360 million people.
We are united in NATO, where we uphold transatlantic unity and stand with European allies against
the full scope of Russian malign influence, to include Moscow’s recent brazen contempt
of international law in the Kerch Strait and action against the Ukrainian people.
Canadian and U.S. trainers in western Ukraine and our battalions in the Baltics represent
our combined efforts to build stability and deter further provocative activity.
Canada and the United States are united in security because we are united in democracy,
and democracies stick together for the common defense.
Today we focused on enhancing our already strong cooperation in a number of areas that
you’ve heard about, from foreign military sales to sanctions coordination.
Like Secretary Pompeo, I am grateful for Canada’s leadership enforcing unanimous UN Council Security
resolutions on sanctions that support the denuclearization of North Korea.
Regarding the Middle East, we affirmed the need to continue the fight against ISIS’s
hardened core and to maintain support to our partners in Iraq,
an approach endorsed as well by 16 nations we met with last week in Ottawa.
Accordingly, we are evolving our defeat ISIS coalition because we must not fall into complacency,
recognizing that ISIS remains a strong terrorist enemy as it adapts to the crushing loss of
its physical caliphate.
To close, last month Americans observed Veteran’s Day.
Canada has Remembrance Day.
But whatever the name, together we recalled our shared battlefield sacrifices and the
many instances when the maple leaf and the stars and stripes have flown side by side
against threats to our shared values.
Come what may, I am confident Canada and the United States will continue to work shoulder
to shoulder now and in the future.
Minister Sajjan, my friend, the floor is yours.
DEFENSE MINISTER SAJJAN: Great.
Thank you, Secretary Mattis, and thank you, Secretary Pompeo for your being tremendous hosts.
Secretary Mattis and I also share another mutual understanding, which is we’re both
from the West Coast as well, which he reminded me of early on.
As my colleague Minister Freeland said, we have had a productive meeting to discuss
our shared defense priorities.
The United States is Canada’s most important ally and defense partner.
Our relationship is longstanding, deeply entrenched, and multifaceted.
It was – our relationship was forged on the battlefield fighting side by side.
It is rooted in our shared geography, in our common values, in our historic connections,
and in our highly integrated economies, and it is unique in its levels of integration
and military-to-military cooperations at all levels and across the globe.
The Canadian Armed Forces and the United States military stand shoulder to shoulder to protect
and defend the continent of our citizens.
NORAD is the most notable example of this cooperation.
We have been working together seamlessly for over 60 years since its inception to protect
North America against current and future threats.
Our militaries are highly interoperable.
We are constantly learning from each other
through our regional, continental, and international exercises.
We provide collective transatlantic defense through NATO.
We are participating in multinational efforts to –
also to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
At the UN command in Korea, Canada is the second-largest contributor after the U.S.
And earlier this year, General Eyre became the first Canadian to hold the post
of deputy commander.
And last week, as Secretary Mattis just said, Canada co-hosted the counter-ISIS ministerial
meeting in Ottawa, and we discussed the next steps to ensure the lasting defeat of Daesh
and its networks, and Canada remains committed to the coalition.
This is evident through our Operation Impact and our leadership of the NATO training mission
in Iraq.
As Minister Freeland mentioned, Canada also supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity in the face of Russian aggression.
We have trained more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of Operation Unifier, and
at any given time we have about 800 – over 800 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed
on Operation Reassurance, and they are supporting NATO deterrence measures in Eastern and Central
Europe alongside our American allies.
Canada is also leading NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia, similar to
the U.S. presence in Poland, and we have recently extended this mission by four years.
In the Asia-Pacific region Canada is engaged in Op Projection and working with the U.S.
and other partners on regional security and defense cooperations.
And ladies and gentlemen, these are just a few examples of the depth and breadth
of the Canada-U.S. defense partnership.
Our cooperation offers both countries greater securities,
and we will always remain strong allies and partners
and even better friends.
Thank you.