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• Overview
• News
• The issues
• Participate in the discussion
• Multimedia
• For media
• About the foreign ministers process
• Participants
• Past meetings

Overview

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, hosted the foreign ministers of G-8 countries for a meeting on March 29 and 30, 2010, at the Château Cartier in Gatineau, Quebec.  

The meeting addressed the major issues affecting international peace and security, while continuing to promote respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada proposed three priorities for the meeting: nuclear non-proliferation, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and capacity building to address security vulnerabilities. The following statements and documents were issued:

• 30 March 2010
  Canadian Chair’s Statement
• 29 March 2010
  G8 Foreign Ministers Condemn Moscow Terrorist Attacks
• 30 March 2010
  G8 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy: A contribution to the 2010 NPT Review Conference
• 29 March 2010
  G8 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Afghanistan
• 29 March 2010
  Backgrounder – Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Region Prosperity Initiative
• 30 March 2010
  Backgrounder – G8 Conference of Senior Officials on Capacity-Building to address Security Vulnerabilities

Canada developed a focused and practical agenda to facilitate an informal exchange between ministers and achieve tangible results. The meeting was complementary to the G-8 summit of heads of state and heads of government being held in Muskoka, Ontario, on June 25 and 26, 2010. 

News

• 30 March 2010
  G8 Foreign Ministers Tackle Key Global Peace and Security Challenges at Gatineau Meeting
• 30 March 2010
  Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada
• 29 March 2010
  G8 Foreign Ministers announce Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Region Prosperity Initiative
• 26 March 2010
  Address by Minister Cannon at the National Press Theatre
• 22 March 2010
  Address by Minister Cannon to the Economic Club of Canada Concerning the G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting
• 19 March 2010
  Address by Minister Cannon to the Chambre de Commerce de Québec
• 11 February 2010
  Statement by Minister Cannon on Iran’s Decision to Further Enrich Uranium
• 6 November 2009
  Minister Cannon to Host March 2010 G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting

The issues

• Backgrounder – Non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament
• Backgrounder – Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Backgrounder – Security Vulnerabilities
• A Safer World for All: The Gatineau G8 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Participate in the discussion

Last winter, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) invited Canadians to participate in eDiscussions on global peace and security priorities in the context of Canada’s G-8 presidency. The eDiscussions, which are open until April 2, will help contribute to the development of Canada’s foreign policy. Canadians could also take part in more informal discussions using social media platforms such as Facebook.  

Multimedia

• 
  View the Foreign Ministers Meeting pictures on our Flickr gallery
• 25 March 2010
  Video: Minister Cannon discusses the upcoming Foreign Ministers Meeting

For media

• 
  Follow the Foreign Ministers Meeting on our Twitter feed 
• Accreditation
• Media contacts
• Media program
• Media logistical and technical information

Media advisories  

• 29 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Chair Closing News Conference of G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting
• 29 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Hold Photo Opportunities and Welcome G8 Foreign Ministers
• 26 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Hold Photo Opportunity Marking G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Opening
• 23 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Hold Briefing on Meetings of Arctic Ocean Foreign Ministers and G8 Foreign Ministers
• 18 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Address Economic Club of Canada
• 17 March 2010
  Minister Cannon to Address Chambre de Commerce de Québec

In an effort to keep the Muskoka 2010 G-8 Summit as green as possible, we are posting these documents online instead of distributing them by mail. We encourage you to join us in this endeavour by downloading the documents you need rather than printing them.  

About the foreign ministers process

G-8 foreign ministers usually meet twice a year, in the G-8 host country each spring and on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly each September, to consult and coordinate on the critical political and security challenges facing the world. G-8 foreign ministers address thematic issues such as non‑proliferation and disarmament, terrorism, transnational organized crime, peacekeeping and peace-building, as well as critical country or regional situations.  

Participants

	Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
	Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, France
	Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Germany
	Franco Frattini, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Italy
	Katsuya Okada, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan
	Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russia
	David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, United Kingdom
	Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, United States of America
	Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Union

Past meetings