Thank you very much.
Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee, I'm Alex Bugailiskis, the assistant deputy minister for Europe, the Middle East, and the Maghreb. That means that I'm one of four of what we call geographic ADMs who cover the globe. My other colleagues cover Africa, Asia, and North and South America.
I have the privilege in our branch of covering 74 countries, almost a third of those in which we have representation. We have 53 Canadian embassies, consulates, and delegations in those 74 countries. Our priorities are wide-ranging, from assisting Canadian businesses in their commercial efforts to promoting security and stability and implementing development projects that reduce poverty and assist the most vulnerable.
Today I'm going to focus on four key issues in my region: our relationship with the European Union, the situation in Ukraine, our response to the crises in Syria and Iraq, and our evolving relationship with Iran.
Let me begin with the European Union.
The EU is facing unprecedented challenges, from the migrant crisis to a potential British exit, called “the Brexit”. It remains a major global player, the world's largest economy, and a vital, like-minded partner for Canada.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, is at the top of our agenda. It is Canada's most ambitious trade initiative, broader in scope and deeper in ambition than NAFTA, and a game changer for Canadian businesses. Once in force, CETA will make Canadian products, technologies, and expertise more competitive in a market of 500 million people.
The second key aspect of our relationship is the Canada-EU strategic partnership agreement, or what we call the SPA. Canada is one of only 10 strategic partners with the EU, and the SPA will expand and deepen Canada-EU cooperation on a wide range of issues that include climate change, human rights, and international security. The agreement is currently being translated, and we hope that we'll be signing and implementing it this year.
This year is a very special one for Canada and the EU, as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Canada-EU framework agreement that was signed in 1976 and of the establishment of the EU's diplomatic mission here in Ottawa.
Let me now turn to the situation in Ukraine.
Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and ongoing support to the insurgency in eastern Ukraine have unleashed the most significant crisis in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
From the onset of the crisis, Canada has been at the forefront of the international community in supporting the Ukrainian people and calling Russia to account for its actions, including by imposing sanctions against more than 270 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities involved in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Canada's most recent sanctions were announced in June 2015. They imposed additional economic sanctions on 17 Russian individuals and entities and several prohibitions against illegally occupied Crimea.
Canada's sanctions and those of partners are having a significant effect on the Russian economy. The combination of low oil prices and sanctions has weighed heavily on investor confidence, prompting large capital outflows from Russia.
Russia must fulfill the obligations it agreed to under the Minsk agreements. These include a complete ceasefire, withdrawal of its troops, and the regaining by Ukraine of control of its borders with Russia.
Since January 2014, Canada has announced more than $700 million in international development assistance and financial, humanitarian, and security support to Ukraine. We are helping, for example, to reform the judicial system and strengthen the management of public finance. Minister Dion reiterated Canada's strong support for Ukraine during his visit to Kiev two weeks ago. He encouraged Ukraine to continue on the path of democratic reform. He also clearly signalled that possible Canadian engagement with Russia would not signify diminishment in any respect of our support to Ukraine.
I will now turn to the other half of my portfolio, advancing our interests in the Middle East and Maghreb.
First, as you know, the Prime Minister presented Canada's new strategy to address the crises in Syria and Iraq last week. As Minister Dion underlined, this strategy provides a comprehensive, integrated, and sustained approach, bringing together military, political and stabilization efforts, and separately, humanitarian and development assistance. Together, these components will address the diverse challenges contributing to and resulting from the conflicts within the region.
Through this new strategy, we will build the capacity of communities and countries hosting significant numbers of refugees, such as Jordan and Lebanon, to withstand crises and maintain stability. This is what we call “building resilience.”
Canada will also be increasing its diplomatic presence in the region, which will allow us to enhance our engagement with local and international partners and to participate more actively in achieving political solutions. The new strategy will be discussed more extensively in Parliament tomorrow.
The second hot topic in the Middle East I would like to discuss is Iran. Canada has long opposed to Iran's earlier ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons. We therefore welcomed, along with the international community, the adoption of the Iran nuclear deal last year—known as the joint comprehensive plan of action.
In recognition of progress on the nuclear file and in light of similar actions by most of Canada's like-minded partners, Canada amended its nuclear-related sanctions against Iran on February 5. We removed the broad prohibitions against exports, imports, and financial transactions.
At the same time, a number of sanctions remain in place. Canada continues to fully implement UN-mandated sanctions, as well as robust autonomous sanctions, including tight controls on proliferation-sensitive goods. We also maintain sanctions against a list of individuals and entities of utmost concern in relation to the risk of nuclear proliferation and to Iran's ballistic missile program.
On the diplomatic front, Canada is prepared to engage with Iran in a step-by-step manner, but with our eyes wide open. We are cautiously but expeditiously evaluating our process of re-engagement. In particular, the human rights situation in Iran, as well as the regime's regional policies and its support of terrorism, continue to be sources of deep concern for Canada. We will remain extremely vigilant and call on the Government of Iran to implement its human rights obligations.
This very brief overview of the key issues in my region cannot do justice to the complexity of the files we handle.
I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you.