Joly has 'open invitation' to visit with Russian officials in Moscow: ambassador
CTV
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has an 'open invitation' to visit Moscow to meet with Russian officials, an offer first extended in December, says Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Stepanov said the Russian government would welcome the meeting.
“Your excellency Joly had the chance to chat with [Foreign] Minister [Sergei] Lavrov on the margins of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting last December in Stockholm and expressed her interest to come to Moscow for consultations at some point and my minister extended the official invitation,” he said.
“Canada is a really important and vocal player right now in NATO camp, in the situation around Ukraine.”
Russia has amassed 100,000 troops along different regions of the Ukraine border prompting concerns about a full-scale invasion there. Russia denies it intends to invade.
