Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, today met in Jerusalem, where they reaffirmed the importance of the Canada-Israel relationship and committed to strengthening cooperation even further. The meeting comes one year after Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a historic visit to Israel and witnessed the signing of a Canada-Israel Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding.
“The first anniversary of the signing of the strategic partnership provides an opportunity for Foreign Affairs Minister Lieberman and I to renew our dedication to building a strong and vibrant partnership,” said Baird.
“To that end, today marks a new chapter in Canada-Israel relations and celebrates the substantial progress made since Prime Minister Harper’s visit. The 2015 Joint Declaration of Solidarity and Friendship highlights this partnership and outlines steps both our nations will take to increase collaboration on diplomatic, trade and development files.”
While in Israel, Baird will meet with a number of other senior political figures, including President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Baird also met with opposition politicians, including Moshe Kahlon.
“Canada and Israel share similar views on the world stage,” said Baird. “Canada strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself by itself and its right to live in peace with its neighbours. Canada will fight any efforts internationally to delegitimize the State of Israel, including the disturbing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.”
During his visit, Minister Baird announced the following projects and signed the following memorandums of understanding:
Following his visit to Israel, Baird will travel to Davos, Switzerland, where he will attend the 2015 World Economic Forum, which this year takes place from January 21 to 24.
To read more about Minister Baird’s trip to Israel, please consult: