Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger urged closer cooperation between Canada and the EU on Friday, saying the partnership could strengthen economic ties, diversify supply chains and boost strategic autonomy.
Meinl-Reisinger described the partnership as an “alliance for the future,” which would benefit both sides through stronger economic, scientific, technological and security cooperation.
“We are partners by choice. We work together by choice, and we believe that this alliance for the future will make our economies stronger,” she told a news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa.
She said diversifying supply chains would reduce dependence on individual suppliers and make both sides more independent, describing Canada as a reliable partner for Europe.
Meinl-Reisinger urged closer cooperation among countries sharing common values, saying they should work together to shape the international order rather than allow others to determine its future.
On the war in Ukraine, she said Russian President Vladimir Putin was the only person who could immediately end the conflict, and urged the EU to coordinate its position ahead of any future negotiations.
Addressing transatlantic relations, the Austrian minister said she remained in favor of cooperation with the US, arguing that no country could act alone in a global context.
“I do get the point of America first, but I think, especially in a global context, no sovereign nation can act alone. We need cooperation. So, it’s America first, okay, but it’s never America alone,” she said.
She added that Austria continued to offer support for US efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, and implement the peace plan in the Gaza Strip.
Meinl-Reisinger identified India, Gulf countries, Japan and Australia as potential partners for closer cooperation, describing Canada as “the most European country outside of Europe.”
She said the Canada-EU partnership represented “the closest possible alliance short of full membership,” and that the priority was to translate commitments into concrete results.