Prime Minister will participate in the ASEAN Summit and the 25th meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced that he will participate in the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, and the 25th Meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the US Air Base in Ramstein, Germany.

For nearly half a century, Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been partners in promoting peace, prosperity and progress. As we create good-paying jobs, fight climate change and grow our economies, Canada and ASEAN stand united to improve the lives of people in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

At the summit, from October 10 to 11, 2024, Prime Minister Trudeau will highlight Canada and ASEAN’s long-standing commitment to building a fairer, more prosperous future for people on both sides of the Pacific. As work continues toward a Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister will note progress on last year’s ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and underscore the importance of long-term sustainable growth that works for everyone, women and empowers girls and is anchored in the transition to clean energy.

ASEAN is one of the fastest growing economic regions in the world. That’s why Canada is increasing trade and investment with ASEAN and putting Canadians at the forefront of this enormous opportunity. As a group, ASEAN member states represented Canada’s fourth largest goods trading partner in 2023, with increased progress in agriculture, agri-food and digital trade among our peoples. More trade and investment mean more jobs, more innovation and more growth.

Building on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Prime Minister Trudeau will also meet with ASEAN partners at the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit to enhance cooperation so we can effectively support prosperity and stability across the region. He will emphasize Canada’s constructive role in addressing new and emerging challenges to peace and security, including malicious cyber activities and cybercrime threats.

This visit marks the first official visit by a Canadian Prime Minister to Laos. As Canada and Laos celebrate 50 years of bilateral ties this year, Prime Minister Trudeau will work to advance shared interests and forge even stronger ties between our two countries.

The Prime Minister will then participate in the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the US Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, on October 12, 2024.

Led by the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, leaders of the international community will reaffirm global solidarity with Ukraine as the country defends itself against Russia’s unjustified war of aggression. Building on the progress made earlier this year at the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, United States of America, Prime Minister Trudeau will emphasize the importance of sustained international support for Ukraine and a just and lasting peace for Ukrainians.

The Prime Minister will emphasize the importance of meeting Ukraine’s immediate defense and security needs, including the supply of military equipment, security assistance and training, and economic support. He will also emphasize Canada’s commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security, as reflected in the Canada-Ukraine Security Cooperation Agreement signed earlier this year.

Canada will continue to work closely with its international partners to support Ukraine and Ukrainians as they continue to fight for their freedom, independence and democracy.

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“Shared challenges require shared solutions – that is what the ASEAN Summit and the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group are about. Whether it’s fighting climate change, creating good-paying jobs or strengthening democracy, Canada is playing a leading role in creating a better, safer and fairer future for people around the world.”

Fast facts

ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization consisting of ten member states. The objectives of ASEAN are:
- Accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development.
- Promote regional peace and stability and respect for justice and the rule of law.
- Increase cooperation in a range of economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative areas.
Together, as a regional bloc, ASEAN represents Canada’s fourth largest trading partner, with more than $38.8 billion in bilateral trade in 2023.
Last year, Canada and ASEAN launched a strategic partnership for further cooperation in strategic areas of mutual interest, including peace and security and economic and socio-cultural cooperation.
Canada became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977 and is one of eleven partners with this designation.
ASEAN dialogue partners cooperate on political and security issues, regional integration, economic interests, interfaith dialogue, transnational crime and counter-terrorism, disaster risk reduction and other areas. Other dialogue partners include: Australia, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy advances and defends Canada’s interests by supporting a more secure, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific region while protecting Canada’s national and economic security at home and abroad.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) was established in April 2022 by the U.S. Secretary of Defense to enable Allies and partners to synchronize donations to Ukraine, consult and coordinate military assistance, and develop the capabilities of Ukraine’s armed forces to build. (AFU). The UDCG meets monthly at ministerial level and now unites more than 50 countries.
Since the launch of Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has trained more than 43,000 members of the AFU. Canada has announced the extension of this mission until March 2026 so that the CAF can continue to respond to Ukraine’s training needs.
Since 2022, Canada has committed more than $19.5 billion in multi-faceted support to Ukraine. This includes more than $12.4 billion in financial support, which has helped the Ukrainian government continue its operations, including by providing essential government services and pensions to Ukrainians. Other assistance includes more than $4.5 billion in military assistance and equipment donations, $358.2 million in humanitarian assistance, $442 million in development assistance and more than $210 million in security and stabilization programs.
Experts estimate that since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported, forcibly transferred, or otherwise displaced from Ukraine to temporarily occupied territories and to Russia, with the aim of erasing their Ukrainian identity. So far, hundreds of children have been returned to Ukraine and reunited with their families.
Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,000 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine for their complicity in the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as gross and systematic human rights violations. Many of these sanctions have been implemented in cooperation with Canadian partners.