Ukraine`s Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and Canadian Minister of National Defense Kharjit Singh Saijan signed a cooperation agreement on Monday, April 3 2017.
At a signing ceremony, broadcast by Canada`s Defense Ministry on Facebook, Minister Poltorak stressed that his visit to Canada was a historic one, being the first official visit of a Ukrainian defense chief throughout the 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
”the additional evidence of this historic event is that today, we are signing an agreement on cooperation between the defense ministries of Canada and Ukraine,” the minister said.
He also expressed gratitude to all Canadian governments and all Canadians that have been helping Ukraine since the beginning of Russian aggression.
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”Today we have a very constructive dialogue and cooperation with the Canadian Armed Forces. A mission for the training of the Ukrainian military is very effective. We are satisfied with its work and the quality of training of our military,” Poltorak said.
”But I think that this is only the beginning of our great friendship and expansion of our capabilities. The document that we plan to sign right now will allow us to expand our cooperation, make this cooperation more constructive and useful for both Ukraine and Canada. I very much hope for further expansion and improvement of our cooperation,” the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry added.
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In turn Saijan said that he is proud to put his signature under the agreement on cooperation between the defense agencies of the two countries.
”The arrangement will enable us to collaborate closely on issues of mutual security and defense concerns, and better support each other,” the Canadian minister said.
In addition, he recalled the renewal until 2019 of Operation Unifier, involving training for the Ukrainian military. He said that the signing of the defense agreement demonstrates how strongly Canada is committed to Euro-Atlantic security and their ”unwavering support for Ukraine.”
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