Report

From 27–31 January 2025, the Canada–Europe Parliamentary Association (CAEU) sent a delegation of six parliamentarians to Strasbourg, France to participate in the first part of the 2025 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The delegates were Francesco Sorbara, M.P., President of CAEU; Hon. Claude Carignan, P.C., Senator; Hon. Brian Francis, Senator; Hon. Margo Greenwood, Senator; Hon. F. Gigi Osler, Senator; and Stéphane Bergeron, M.P.

The delegation was accompanied by association secretaries, Jessica Kulka and Julie-Anne Macdonald, and association adviser, BJ Siekierski.

A. Overview of the Agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

During the session, a wide range of topics were debated in the Assembly and its committees. The Assembly held the following debates:

• Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee
• Observation of the parliamentary elections in Georgia (26 October 2024)
• The progress of the Assembly's monitoring procedure (January-December 2024)
• The need for a renewed rules-based international order
• The absolute and urgent need to end the humanitarian crisis for women, children and the hostages in Gaza
• Addressing risks to human rights and the rule of law posed by mercenaries and private military and security companies: a call for comprehensive regulation
• Multiperspectivity in remembrance and history education for democratic citizenship
• Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Georgia
• Immigration, one of the answers to Europe's demographic ageing
• Opinion on a draft convention for the protection of the profession of lawyer
• The urgent need for free and fair elections in Belarus
• European commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine
• Women in the economy: employment, entrepreneurship and gender-responsive budgeting
• Regulating content moderation on social media to safeguard freedom of expression
• “Long Covid” and access to the right to health
• Overcoming age-based discrimination against older persons
• Free debate

The Assembly also heard from the following speakers:

• His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
• Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, President of the Yad Vashem Memorial and the youngest survivor of the Nazis’ Buchenwald concentration camp
• Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg, Chair of the Committee of Ministers
• Marko Bošnjak, President of the European Court of Human Rights
• Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
• Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg

B. Canadian Interventions in Assembly Debates Canadian Interventions in Assembly Debates

Five delegates participated in the Assembly’s debates. They made 10 interventions during debates and tabled six speeches in writing. The texts of the delegates’ speeches are available on the PACE website.[1]

1. 27 January 2025

Mr. Bergeron spoke in the debate on “The need for a renewed rules-based international order.” Mr. Sorbara submitted his speech in writing.

2. 28 January 2025

Mr. Bergeron asked the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, a question about the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure.

Senator Greenwood spoke in the debate on “The absolute and urgent need to end the humanitarian crisis for women, children and the hostages in Gaza.” Mr. Bergeron submitted his speech in writing

3. 29 January 2025

Mr. Sorbara spoke in the debate on “Immigration, one of the answers to Europe's demographic ageing.”

4. 30 January 2025

Mr. Bergeron and Mr. Sorbara submitted speeches in writing for the debate on “The urgent need for free and fair elections in Belarus.”

Mr. Bergeron and Mr. Sorbara submitted speeches in writing for the debate on “European commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

Senator Osler spoke in the debate on “Women in the economy: employment, entrepreneurship and gender-responsive budgeting.”

Senator Francis and Mr. Sorbara spoke in the debate on “Regulating content moderation on social media to safeguard freedom of expression.”

5. 31 January 2025

Senator Osler spoke in the debate on “‘Long Covid’” and access to the right to health.”

Senator Francis spoke in the debate on “Overcoming age-based discrimination against older persons.”

Senator Greenwood and Mr. Bergeron spoke in the free debate.

C. Additional Canadian Activities During the Session

Members of the delegation attended meetings of PACE political groups throughout the week.

In addition, on 27 January 2025, the delegation attended a meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (POL). At the invitation of the Chair of the POL Sub-Committee on External Relations, Marietta Karamanli, Mr. Sorbara spoke about Canada’s engagement, as an observer state, with PACE.

On 29 January 2025, Senator Carignan attended the launch of the Parliamentary Assembly Network of Election Observers, and Senator Greenwood attended a Women@PACE Group event.

On 30 January 2025, Mr. Sorbara, Senator Francis, Senator Carignan, Senator Francis, Senator Greenwood, and Senator Osler attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Network on the situation of the Children of Ukraine.

Finally, the delegation held bilateral meetings with other member delegations and was briefed by Jarrett Reckseidler from Canada’s Mission to the European Union (EU).

D. Bilateral meetings

1. 28 January 2025

2. Briefing by Jarrett Reckseidler, Senior Political Affairs Officer at Canada’s Mission to the European Union

Mr. Reckseidler, Senior Political Affairs Officer at Canada’s Mission to the EU, briefed the Canadian delegation. Having previously briefed the delegation in June on the outcome of the European Parliament elections, he began by discussing notable developments since then.

He highlighted the European Parliament’s re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission in July, followed by the European Parliament’s approval, by a narrow majority, of the full slate of 27 European Commissioners (the "College of Commissioners") in November. He pointed out that only 11 of the Commissioners were women, and that the European Commission had not met its gender parity target.

After the new Commission took office on 1 December 2024 – and in the wake of the U.S. presidential election – Mr. Reckseidler noted that von der Leyen had outlined a list of priorities for the Commission’s "first 100 days." These priorities included a White Paper on the Future of European Defence, a "Democracy Shield" to counter foreign interference and information manipulation, and a new "Clean Industrial Deal."

Mr. Reckseidler also addressed European sanctions on Russia. He noted that Hungary, after initially threatening to block the renewal of sectoral sanctions, had withdrawn its veto following President Trump’s recent shift in rhetoric toward Russia. As the European Commission prepared its 16th Russia sanctions package in the coming weeks, he anticipated that the focus would be on shadow fleets used to smuggle Russian oil.

A. Meeting with the Chair of Bulgaria’s delegation to PACE

Mr. Sorbara and Mr. Bergeron met with the Chair of Bulgaria’s delegation to PACE, Toshko Yordanov. The Bulgarian delegation’s secretary, Maria Yaneva, provided interpretation.

Mr. Sorbara began the meeting by explaining that Bulgaria’s ambassador to Canada had met with Canadian parliamentarians in December and expressed concerns about Russian disinformation efforts targeting Canada’s Macedonian diaspora. More specifically, Mr. Sorbara explained, the ambassador had suggested that Russia was spreading narratives that Macedonians had no historical, linguistic, or cultural links with Bulgaria.

Mr. Yordanov stated that there has been an increase in such propaganda, reportedly funded by Russia and Serbia, since North Macedonia became a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member in 2020. He said that a large part of modern-day North Macedonia was once part of Bulgaria and emphasized that Macedonians have strong historical and cultural connections to Bulgaria. He also mentioned that there are ongoing sensitivities related to the treatment of Bulgarians in North Macedonia. While the Bulgarian minority is officially listed as only 3,000 people (out of a population of 2.1 million), he asserted that the actual number is over 100,000. Additionally, he reported incidents of Bulgarian cultural clubs in North Macedonia being set on fire and their members being attacked. He stressed that the treatment of Bulgarians in North Macedonia has influenced Bulgaria’s stance on the country’s EU accession.

Mr. Sorbara then inquired about the Bulgarian perspective on the war in Ukraine. Mr. Yordanov suggested that Ukraine had provoked Russia in the lead-up to the full-scale invasion in February 2022. When pressed by Mr. Sorbara and Mr. Bergeron to provide examples of such provocation, Mr. Yordanov cited restrictions on the use of Russian in Russian-speaking areas of Ukraine, such as the Donbas. At the same time, he expressed sadness over the large number of casualties on both sides and voiced hope that the new United States (U.S.) administration would help broker a ceasefire.

B. Meeting with Estonia’s delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation met with four members of Estonia’s delegation to PACE: Kadri Tali, delegation chair; Hanah Lahe; Eerik-Niiles Kross; and Aleksei Jevgrafov.

Mr. Sorbara began the meeting by highlighting the success of the CAEU bilateral mission to Estonia the previous November. The meeting then covered five main topics: Estonia’s clean energy transition, the threat posed to Canada by American tariffs and other disruptive actions by the new Trump administration, Estonia’s digitalization successes, the war in Ukraine, and Russia’s current challenges.

Regarding clean energy, Ms. Lahe, the youngest member ever elected to the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) and a member of the Environment Committee of the Riigikogu, emphasized that Estonia aims to meet 100% of its electricity demand with renewable energy by 2030 as part of a broader goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. She added, however, that the Estonian government is still determining the role nuclear energy will play in its transition. In response, Mr. Sorbara pointed out that nuclear power accounts for almost 60% of electricity generation in Ontario, Canada’s largest province, and highlighted Canada’s significant export financing for Canadian CANDU nuclear reactors in Romania. For her part, Ms. Tali highlighted that Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania, would soon be disconnecting from the Russian electricity grid and syncing with the European grid – a move that would make Estonia electricity independent from Russia.

Concerning the 25% tariff expected to be imposed on imports starting 1 February, the Canadian delegation emphasized national anxiety and noted that the country’s trade surplus with the U.S. is largely based on oil and gas exports. A member of the delegation added that the tariff threat should serve as an impetus for the country to diversify its trading relationships. Another member raised concerns about other actions taken by the U.S. administration, specifically the executive orders withdrawing from the World Health Organization and ending National Science Foundation funding. They warned that these moves would not only undermine global pandemic preparedness but also hinder critical life-saving research.

In response to questions from the Canadian delegation about Estonia’s digitalization, members of the Estonian delegation explained, among other things, that the average Estonian can file their taxes online in a few minutes, that couples can now get divorced online, and that Estonia has produced many successful technology companies over the years. These include Skype, Wise, and Bolt.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Mr. Kross emphasized that Ukraine has fought valiantly. Despite recent Russian gains, he suggested that the war appeared to be heading towards a frozen conflict and that other conflicts, like the one in Gaza, had monopolized the world’s attention. At the same time, he observed that Russia’s economy is showing signs of deterioration and that it had suffered significant recent geostrategic losses in Syria, Armenia, and Moldova.

C. Working lunch with Latvia’s delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation had a working lunch with four members of the Latvian delegation to PACE: Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, chair of the delegation; Edmunds Cepurītis; Aiva Vīksna; and Ričards Šlesers.

Mr. Sorbara began the lunch by thanking the Latvian delegation for hosting the CAEU in November, noting that members of the delegation spoke enthusiastically about the mission and had particularly enjoyed their interactions with Canadian soldiers at Camp Ādaži.

Ms. Kalniņa-Lukaševica began by noting that despite the four members of the Latvian delegation coming from different political parties, they spoke with one voice on foreign policy. She highlighted concerns in Latvia about NATO’s future presence in Europe following President Trump’s election, given his tendency to treat international relationships as business transactions. However, she also pointed out that Latvia’s high defence spending as a percentage of GDP placed it in good standing with the Trump administration. Latvian governments, she added, have long prioritized building strong relations with both Republicans and Democrats.

As the Canadian Foreign Interference Commission’s final report was due to be released later that day, the conversation shifted to each country’s experience with foreign interference. Mr. Sorbara emphasized that Canada is a multicultural country with high immigration levels and has faced growing challenges related to the influence of foreign actors on its diaspora communities. Mr. Bergeron, a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, pointed out that Canada was initially unprepared and naïve about the vulnerability of diaspora groups to foreign interference, as evidenced in the committee’s redacted June 2024 report. However, he noted that there is now a growing consensus that Canada must adapt.

In contrast, Ms. Kalniņa-Lukaševica explained that Latvia has a heightened awareness of foreign interference, citing its history with Russia and the attention paid to recent Russian meddling in Romania and Moldova. However, she added that there is still a lack of clarity on how Latvia – and Europe – should respond, and she felt the EU’s Digital Services Act did not go far enough in addressing the issue.

Both delegations agreed that bilateral dialogue on foreign interference should continue.

D. Meeting with Denmark’s delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation met with four members of the Danish delegation to PACE: Mogens Jensen, chair of the delegation; Alexander Ryle, vice-chair; Camilla Fabricius; and Michael Aastrup Jensen.

The meeting began with a discussion about President Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland, a self-governing, autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Mr. Aastrup Jensen, chair of Foreign Policy Committee in the Danish Parliament, told the Canadian delegation that there was great concern and confusion in Denmark about President Trump’s comments. The confusion, he said, stemmed in part from the fact that the Kingdom of Denmark and the U.S. have had an agreement on the “Defense of Greenland” in force since 27 April 1951. The agreement allows the U.S. to have as many bases and troops on the island as it wants. In other words, if the U.S. wants to increase its presence in Greenland, he clarified, it needs neither the permission of Denmark nor Greenland’s government. Furthermore, he added, the U.S. has closed bases on the island since the end of the Cold War.

In its conversations with the new U.S. administration, Mr. Aastrup Jensen continued, the Danish government has stressed two things: Greenland is not for sale and has the right to self-determination. The latter is enshrined in a 2009 law that gave Greenland the right to hold a referendum on independence at any time. He then mentioned that the Danish government had just announced, the previous day, a plan to spend the equivalent of over US$2 billion on enhanced Arctic security, which included new naval vessels and long-range drones.

Mr. Aastrup Jensen stressed that Denmark is trying to engage the Trump administration as much as possible. Given Denmark’s significant trade surplus with the U.S., however – largely driven by American pharmaceutical imports (more specifically, the weight loss drug Ozempic – a product of Denmark’s Novo Nordisk), he said it was more vulnerable to tariffs than other EU member states.

Mr. Mogens Jensen further explained that Greenland’s citizens are Danish citizens; that Greenland has its own Parliament; that its government has the right to take control, from Denmark, over 33 areas (essentially everything except foreign policy and defence), but has only taken over a few so far; and that Greenland still relies on Denmark for 60% of its budget. His personal view, he said, was that most of Greenland’s 56,000 people supported the status quo.

The Danish delegation then asked the Canadian delegation for their perspectives on the threat of U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports and the potential impact on Canada of more restrictive American policies on women’s reproductive rights. On tariffs, Mr. Sorbara explained that Canada is the largest purchaser of U.S. goods and that some goods, such as potash and uranium, cannot be easily replaced. He added that tariffs would cause inflation in the U.S. and likely contribute to a further depreciation of the Canadian dollar against the American dollar, undermining – to a certain extent – the purpose of the tariffs in the first place.

Ms. Fabricius asked whether there was an increase in American women coming to Canada for reproductive healthcare following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in February 2022. She also wanted to know what impact on Canada the Trump administration’s policies on gender might have. Senator Osler replied that there was no noticeable uptick in American women coming to Canada following the U.S. Supreme Court decision. However, she said that there could be in the wake of President Trump’s executive order the previous week to end federal funding of elective abortion. She also expressed concern that Canadians with non-binary gender identities on their passports – that is, those who have listed “X,” rather than male or female – could be denied entry to the U.S.

E. Meeting with Ukraine’s delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation met with six members of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE: Mariia Mezentseva-Fedorenko, chair of the delegation; Serhii Soboliev, first vice-chair; Larysa Bilozir; Yuriy Kamelchuk; Oleksandr Merezhko; and Dmytro Natalukha.

Ms. Mezentseva-Fedorenko began the meeting by acknowledging that every time she has met Canadian delegations at PACE in recent years, she had described the context at the time as the most challenging in Ukraine’s history. Nonetheless, she said that this continued to be the case. In her home region of Kharkiv, she said, Russian drone strikes had just destroyed another business, and Russian glide bombs continued to destroy large swathes of the country; two-thirds of the Zaporizhzhia region remained occupied by Russia; and 19,000 Ukrainian children were still being held by Russia.

On the positive side, however, she stressed that Ukraine’s Kursk offensive in Russia continued to be a successful operation. Mr. Natalukha, chair of the Economic Development Committee in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), added that Russia has stopped publishing critical economic data, which suggested they were having significant problems.

The Ukrainian delegation was also cautiously optimistic about the Trump administration’s policies vis-à-vis Ukraine. Mr. Merezhko, chair of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Verkhovna Rada, said that he did not believe President Trump would want to be known as the president who lost Ukraine and that he was encouraged by recent comments on Ukraine made by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz. Mr. Natalukha noted that 90% of the military assistance the U.S. had provided to Ukraine has stayed in the U.S. – that is, it has gone towards producing military goods in the U.S. that were then delivered to Ukraine. The effect, he argued, has been a rustbelt manufacturing renaissance that President Trump may not want to end.

The meeting concluded with a discussion about Ukraine’s progress towards NATO membership. Mr. Soboliev urged the Canadian delegation to increase its support for Ukraine’s NATO membership and highlighted Ukraine’s constitutional amendments, in 2019, which committed the country to both NATO and EU membership. He also argued that Russia’s muted response to Finland’s NATO membership showed that Vladimir Putin’s threats regarding Ukrainian NATO membership should not be taken seriously

3. 29 January 2025

A. Meeting with France’s delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation met with five members of the French delegation to PACE: Bertrand Bouyx, chair of the delegation; Sylvie Josserand, vice-chair; Marietta Karamanli; Christophe Chaillou; and Céline Thiébault-Martinez.

Mr. Bouyx started the meeting by saying how astonished he had been by President Trump’s statements and threats – all of which, he added, must be taken seriously. At the same time, he said the current context provided an opportunity for other relationships, such as the one between Canada and the EU, to be strengthened. Mr. Bergeron raised the Canada-EU Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement and asked for an update regarding France’s ratification. Senator Chaillou replied that the French agriculture sector’s opposition to the agreement – along with its opposition to the EU’s recently finalized trade agreement with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) – made ratification very unlikely in the current context.

The meeting concluded with a discussion about the level of public support in France for continuing to provide multifaceted assistance to Ukraine. Mr. Bouyx and Senator Chaillou said that support remains high, but that there is a certain amount of war fatigue, largely related to inflation in France.

B. Meeting with a member of Moldova’s delegation to PACE

Mr. Sorbara, Senator Carignan, and Mr. Bergeron met with Andrian Cheptonar, a member of the Moldovan delegation to PACE. Mr. Cheptonar began the meeting by explaining that he is a member of the Action and Solidarity political group in the Moldovan Parliament, which he described as anti-corruption and pro-European. He described the other two groups in the Moldovan Parliament as pro-Russian.

Mr. Cheptonar, a former Moldovan intelligence officer, then provided an overview of alleged Russian meddling, the previous fall, in the two rounds of Moldova’s presidential election and its referendum on whether to amend its constitution to add a commitment to EU membership. Mr. Cheptonar alleged that a Russian-backed criminal network in Moldova had used a Russian bank, Promsvyazbank, to transfer money to over 140,000 Moldovans. Additionally, he said, a significant number of disadvantaged Moldovans were found to have returned to the country from Russia with just under €10,000 – the threshold for a mandatory declaration. This was a vote-buying scheme. The Russians’ goal, he said, was to get their preferred candidate, Alexandr Stoianoglo, elected, and for the constitutional amendment on EU membership to be defeated. Had it not been for the votes of Moldovan citizens abroad, he argued, Russia would have succeeded. He said that Moldova’s 2025 parliamentary elections would be critical for its EU path. He also suggested that Ukrainian security would be undermined by a pro-Russian government in Moldova, as cities like Odesa would likely become targets.

Mr. Cheptonar then discussed Moldova’s current energy crisis. Since Moldova’s independence, he explained, a succession of pro-Russian governments had done nothing to reduce the country’s dependence on Russian energy. As a result, the end – weeks earlier – of Russian natural gas transfers to Moldova and Transnistria (a Russian-leaning breakaway territory that is internationally recognized as part of Moldova) had led to a drastic energy price increase in the former and widespread energy shortages in the latter, since upwards of 70% of Moldovan electricity comes via a natural gas-fueled power plant in Transnistria. He said that a Moldova-Romania electricity line, expected to be operational in 2026, would put an end to Moldovan dependence on Russian energy, but that the country was under significant pressure in the meantime. While the EU had just proposed a €30 million emergency assistance package, he doubted that would be enough.

C. Meeting with the Chair of Norway’s delegation to PACE

Senator Francis, Senator Greenwood, and Senator Osler met with the Chair of the Norwegian delegation to PACE, Ingjerd Schie Schou. The primary purpose of the meeting was for the Canadian delegation to learn more about Norway’s historical relationship with the Sámi peoples.

Ms. Schou described the 1979 Alta River hydroelectric dam conflict as a pivotal moment for Sámi rights in Norway. Although the dam was ultimately built, Sámi protests against its impact on reindeer grazing areas played a key role in the creation of a Sámi Parliament, a recent truth and reconciliation commission, and a formal apology from the Norwegian government for its past assimilation policies. She clarified that this apology also extended to other Indigenous groups in Norway, such as the Kven and Forest Finn peoples. Additionally, she pointed out that Sámi-language kindergartens exist in Norway, and school curricula now address the injustices of the country's assimilationist past.

Turning to the current situation, Ms. Schou estimated that Indigenous peoples make up 1 to 1.25% of Norway’s population. She also explained that the 2005 Finnmark Act established specific Sámi land rights in Finnmark County in northern Norway. While there had been a successful Sámi legal challenge against a wind farm, she emphasized that ultimate control over natural resources remains with the Norwegian state. In cases of conflict over these resources, she noted, the government has occasionally provided compensation.

MEETING WITH FINLAND’S DELEGATION TO PACE

Mr. Sorbara, Mr. Bergeron, Senator Francis, Senator Greenwood, and Senator Osler met with five members of the Finnish delegation to PACE: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, chair of the delegation; Mira Niemine; Tuula Haatainen; Anna-Kristiina Mikkonen; and Saara-Sofia Sirén.

Mr. Sorbara began the meeting by congratulating Finland for joining NATO and asking the Finnish delegation about the recent sabotage, in the Baltic Sea, of underwater cables and powerlines. Mr. Bergeron, for his part, highlighted the trilateral agreement (Canada, U.S., Finland) signed the previous November to jointly produce Arctic and polar icebreakers.

Ms. Haatainen, in response, noted that Finland’s accession to NATO was approved in the Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament) by a vote of 184-7. She added that Finland also supports Ukraine’s NATO membership and expressed concern about other conflicts, such as the one in Gaza, overshadowing the war in Ukraine. Regarding the sabotage in the Baltic Sea, she said that it has been difficult to find incontrovertible evidence, but that all signs point to Russian shadow fleets being responsible for the rising number of sabotage cases. She highlighted that NATO had announced, weeks earlier, new measures to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Ms. Kumpula-Natri then asked when Canada expects to reach the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. In response, Senator Osler said that Canada had been aiming to reach the 2% target by 2030, but that the pressure imposed by President Trump had likely accelerated that timeline.

The meeting concluded with a discussion about the Sámi peoples in Finland. Ms. Haatainen told the Canadian delegation that Finland’s Sámi population numbers about 9,000 and is smaller than that of its neighbours. She said the most common complaints of the Sámi population in Finland relate to language. While Finland only has two official languages – Finnish and Swedish – the Sámi have linguistic protections in the Finnish constitution. She added that it can be difficult, however, to find Sámi teachers, owing, in part, to the variety of Sámi languages. As in neighbouring countries, she said the Sámi in Finland have their own Parliament. She also noted that there are Sámi-language news channels.

4. 30 January 2025

A. Meeting with Armenian delegation to PACE

The Canadian delegation met with four members of the Armenian delegation to PACE: Ruben Rubinyan, chair of the association; Arusyak Julhakyan; Sona Ghazaryan; and Vladimir Vardanyan.

Mr. Rubinyan expressed growing concern in Armenia over Azerbaijan’s reluctance to finalize a bilateral peace treaty, suggesting that the Azerbaijani government may find it politically beneficial to keep tensions with Armenia high, particularly to strengthen internal political support. He emphasized Armenia's deep concern over the possibility of future attacks from Azerbaijan and urged Canada to proactively commit to imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan if such aggression occurs.

Turning to Russia’s role in the region, Mr. Rubinyan said that Armenia’s relationship with Russia has long been misunderstood and that Russia is now clearly backing Azerbaijan. Although Armenia remains a member, for now, of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a Russian-led post-Soviet military alliance – he indicated that Armenia has effectively disengaged from the organization and plans to formally withdraw in the near future.

Ms. Ghazaryan further emphasized that Armenia no longer has an ambassador to the CSTO, does not contribute to its funding, and refrains from participating in its military exercises. Mr. Rubinyan added that Armenia’s continued CSTO membership appears to prevent Canada from selling military goods to Armenia, noting that this has not been an obstacle for France. He also mentioned that the Armenian Parliament is advancing legislation for EU accession, further signalling Armenia's shift away from Russia’s influence.

Travel Expenses

Travel expenses association with this activity can be found in the delegation's financial report. This report is available in the Financial Disclosure section of the Parliamentary Diplomacy website.

Respectfully submitted,

James Maloney, M.P.
President, Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association