Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada to Visit Canadian Troops in Ukraine and Latvia

OTTAWA, Jan. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will visit Ukraine and Latvia from January 17 to 19, 2018.

This visit will allow Her Excellency to meet with and show her support to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members serving on Operation UNIFIER in Ukraine and on Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia. Her Excellency will be accompanied by General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff.

During this visit, Her Excellency will also have an opportunity to meet with the presidents of Ukraine and Latvia.

Lviv, Ukraine
Wednesday, January 17

Her Excellency will arrive late in Lviv and begin her official program the following day.

Lviv, Ukraine
Thursday, January 18

In the morning, Her Excellency and General Vance will visit the Memorial to Fallen Soldiers of Ukraine's Anti-Terrorist Operation. Afterwards, they will meet with members of the Canadian and Ukrainian Armed Forces at the Military Law and Order Service (MLOS) Academy. Canadian's Operation UNIFIER was crucial to the reopening of the MLOS Academy in September 2017 after it had been decommissioned in 2012.

Later, Her Excellency will visit Potocki Palace, where she will meet with His Excellency Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine, to discuss Canada-Ukraine bilateral relations and to reaffirm Canada's support for Ukraine.

Yavoriv, Ukraine
Thursday, January 18

In the afternoon, Her Excellency and General Vance will travel to the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Starychi to see Operation UNIFIER in action. This mission aims to provide military training and capacity building assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This encounter will allow for an exchange with the Canadian men and women who are committed to helping Ukraine remain sovereign, secure and stable.

Riga, Latvia
Thursday, January 18

At the end of the day, Her Excellency will travel to Riga.

Riga, Latvia
Friday, January 19

The Governor General will start her day by meeting with His Excellency Raimonds Vējonis, President of the Republic of Latvia, to discuss Canada-Latvia bilateral relations and to highlight areas for further strengthening of co-operation between both countries. This meeting will provide Her Excellency with an opportunity to reaffirm Canada's strong commitment to regional security and to commemorate Latvia's 100^th anniversary of independence. It will also mark the first time a Canadian governor general has travelled to Latvia.

Later that morning, Her Excellency and General Vance will travel to Camp Ādaži to meet with troops serving in NATO's multinational enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Latvia (eFP BG). Canada leads NATO's eFP BG Latvia and contributes approximately 450 personnel to the battlegroup as part of Operation REASSURANCE. During the visit, Her Excellency will meet with military officials and senior national representatives of the countries contributing troops to the battlegroup. Her Excellency and General Vance will also view a firepower and equipment demonstration.  

At the end of the day, Her Excellency will fly back to Ottawa.

Media wishing to obtain photos of the visit can contact the Rideau Hall Press Office.
This itinerary is subject to change without notice.
To obtain the latest updates, visit www.gg.ca.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

Media information: Josephine Laframboise, Rideau Hall Press Office, 613-990-9324, 613-668-1929 (cell), [email protected]