HC Speaker Milliken Heads Canadian MP Delegation to Ukraine

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostyantyn Yeliseyev met an official Canadian Parliamentary Delegation led by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honorable Peter Milliken, M.P. This is the first official visit by the Speaker of the House of Commons to Ukraine, having taken place September 5-9, 2009.

The Canadian delegation also included Members of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Judy Wasylycia-Leis and Tom  Lukiwski.

At their meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry officials and delegation members discussed developing the relationship of “Special Partnership” between Ukraine and Canada, current policy and trade items on a bilateral agenda, as well as cooperation of the two countries in the international arena.

The participants in official discussions underlined the dynamic bilateral political dialogue and the productive implementation of the agreements reached during the visits of the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko to Canada (May 2008) and the Governor-General of Canada, the Right Honourable Michaлlle Jean to Ukraine (April 2009).

The Ukrainian officials and the delegation party discussed steps that would facilitate the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries. They include a visit to Ukraine by Canada’s Minister of International Trade, the Honourable Stockwell Day and the Canada-Ukraine Aerospace and Aviation Business Summit “Exploring New Technology, Trade and Investment Opportunities” which are planned for the end of September 2009.

Kostyantyn Yeliseyev and Peter Milliken emphasized the mutual interest in advancing people-to-people contacts between Ukraine and Canada. Particularly, Ukrainian officials stressed the importance of liberalizing Canada’s visa process for Ukrainian citizens.

Etobicoke Centre MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj had stated “This official visit … comes at a critically important time for Ukraine. It follows on the threatening comments recently made by President Medvedev of Russia which were a direct challenge to Ukraine’s sovereignty … I intend to use this opportunity to forcefully restate our [Canada’s] support for Ukraine’s NATO membership. Beside high-level political meetings, we will also be making a solemn visit to the Holodomor (Famine Genocide) Memorial.” 

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked the Canadian delegation for Canada’s consistent support of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as well as for the recognition of the Holodomor 1932-33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people and backing Ukraine’s initiatives concerning international commemoration of this tragedy.