Latest news with #EdgarsRinkēvičs
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Readout - Prime Minister Carney meets with President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs
THE HAGUE, the Netherlands, June 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on the margins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. Building on the two countries' already strong ties, the Prime Minister and the President discussed deepening the Canada-Latvia partnership, with a focus on increasing trade and investment, including in defence and energy. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to regional security and underscored the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also discussed the need to increase pressure on Russia, including through sanctions. Prime Minister Carney reiterated Canada's support for Euro-Atlantic security, as demonstrated by its leadership through the Canada-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia. He thanked the President for Latvia's exemplary role in hosting Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members serving under Operation REASSURANCE. The operation includes approximately 2,000 personnel, making it the largest deployment of CAF members overseas. The Prime Minister also outlined Canada's plan to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the CAF – meeting the NATO 2 per cent target this year and accelerating defence investments in the years ahead. The leaders agreed to remain in close contact. Associated Link Canada-Latvia relations This document is also available at SOURCE Prime Minister's Office View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Cision Canada
24-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Readout - Prime Minister Carney meets with President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs
THE HAGUE, the Netherlands, June 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on the margins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. Building on the two countries' already strong ties, the Prime Minister and the President discussed deepening the Canada-Latvia partnership, with a focus on increasing trade and investment, including in defence and energy. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to regional security and underscored the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also discussed the need to increase pressure on Russia, including through sanctions. Prime Minister Carney reiterated Canada's support for Euro-Atlantic security, as demonstrated by its leadership through the Canada-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia. He thanked the President for Latvia's exemplary role in hosting Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members serving under Operation REASSURANCE. The operation includes approximately 2,000 personnel, making it the largest deployment of CAF members overseas. The Prime Minister also outlined Canada's plan to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the CAF – meeting the NATO 2 per cent target this year and accelerating defence investments in the years ahead. The leaders agreed to remain in close contact. This document is also available at
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Carney to begin talks on NATO spending target as summit starts today in The Hague
Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in a press conference during the Canada EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium on Monday, June 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick THE HAGUE — Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a two-day stop Tuesday in the Netherlands, where NATO alliance members are prepared to decide whether to more than double the defence spending target. The main talks in The Hague won't happen until Wednesday, with Carney first set to take part in several bilateral meetings. Carney will meet with the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof. He will also meet with leaders of Nordic countries for talks focused on Arctic and transatlantic security. The prime minister will also meet with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak to reporters twice today, first in The Hague at around 7:15 a.m. ET and then virtually at 8:30 a.m. ET. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte have both said they expect alliance members to commit to a new target to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence, up from the current two per cent target set in 2014. None of NATO's 32 members spent that much on defence in 2024, according to the alliance's own data. All of them are pledging to meet the two per cent figure this year, including Canada for the first time since the target was created. A Canadian government official who briefed reporters on background before the trip said the spending target and its timeline are still up for discussion. Some allies have indicated they would prefer a seven-year timeline, while others want a decade to reach the five per cent target. Canada's defence spending hasn't reached five per cent of GDP since the 1950s. NATO estimates that Canada spent $41 billion in 2024 on defence, or 1.37 per cent of GDP. In 2014, Canada spent $20.1 billion, or 1.01 per cent of GDP, on defence. In 2014, when the current two per cent target was first set, only three NATO members hit the mark — the U.S., the U.K. and Greece. Any new spending guidelines have to be made with the consensus of all 32 NATO member states, and no member is currently anywhere close. The U.S., at 3.38 per cent in 2024, was the highest, but President Donald Trump has said the figure shouldn't apply to the United States — only to its allies. The plan Rutte is expected to put forward at the summit contains some wiggle room to help allies reach that high figure. It would commit members to spending 3.5 per cent of annual GDP on core defence needs — like jets and other weapons — and 1.5 per cent on defence-adjacent areas like infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry. Internal divisions have emerged in the lead-up to the summit. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday that Spain reached a deal with NATO to be excluded from the new spending target. Like Canada, Spain has long struggled to meet the two per cent target and has rejected the new proposal. Rutte warned Monday that no country can opt out of the target and that progress made toward the new target will be reviewed in four years. NATO's defence buildup is also controversial in Italy, where defence minister Guido Crosetto said recently the alliance 'no longer has a reason to exist.' Countries much closer to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine all have agreed to reach the target, as have nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, which is hosting the two-day summit starting Tuesday. Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty said 'stay tuned' when asked earlier this month if Canada would agree to the five per cent plan. Jan Techau, a senior fellow with the transatlantic defence and security program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the overall level of ambition in Europe on defence has 'massively' increased over the last several years in response to Russian aggression. 'The closer to Russia you are, the more ambitious you are,' he said. Speaking to reporters at a military cemetery in Antwerp Monday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that while he isn't comfortable with the five per cent target, it's important that the country remain in NATO. He also said the proposed 3.5 and 1.5 per cent breakdown 'helps a bit.' Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the NATO summit is coming at a 'very precarious moment,' marked by uncertainty about the U.S. commitment to Europe, the grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade. Speranza said the meeting will offer some insights into how the Trump administration will approach the alliance going forward, following its criticisms of NATO and calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence. On Monday, Rutte said recent U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities were not a violation of international law. Prime Minister Carney, who has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, said Monday that Iran has pursued nuclear weapons while expressing a desire to eliminate the state of Israel. In a statement Sunday, Carney said Iran's nuclear program is a 'grave threat' to international security and that Canada has been 'consistently clear' that Iran 'can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.' Tuesday's schedule also includes a reception and a social dinner hosted by the king and queen of the Netherlands. With files from Kyle Duggan in Ottawa and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
PR Newswire - 45 minutes ago OTTAWA, ON , June 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Note: All times local Brussels, Belgium 8:20 a.m. The Prime Minister will depart for The Hague, the Netherlands. The Hague, the Netherlands 10:15 a.m. The Prime Minister will arrive in The Hague, the Netherlands. 2:30 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs. Note for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 3:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof. Note for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 4:00 p.m. The Prime Minister will have an audience with Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Note for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 5:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with leaders of Nordic countries. Note for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 7:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend the official welcome by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Note for media: Host broadcaster 7:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a reception given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Closed to media 8:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will participate in a family photo with NATO Allies. Note for media: Host broadcaster and host photographer 8:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a dinner given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands . Note for media: Host broadcaster This document is also available at
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
OTTAWA, ON, June 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Note: All times local Brussels, Belgium 8:20 a.m. The Prime Minister will depart for The Hague, the Netherlands. The Hague, the Netherlands 10:15 a.m. The Prime Minister will arrive in The Hague, the Netherlands. 2:30 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvič for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 3:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 4:00 p.m. The Prime Minister will have an audience with Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 5:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with leaders of Nordic for media: Pooled photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting 7:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend the official welcome by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the for media: Host broadcaster 7:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a reception given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the to media 8:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will participate in a family photo with NATO for media: Host broadcaster and host photographer 8:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a dinner given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the for media: Host broadcaster This document is also available at SOURCE Prime Minister's Office View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
