Minister Anand to journey to Pakistan and the Philippines to strengthen Indo-Pacific partnerships

July 19, 2026 – Islamabad, Pakistan – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as we speak introduced that she is going to go to Pakistan and the Philippines this week to deepen Canada’s strategic partnerships within the Indo-Pacific area.

In Pakistan, Minister Anand will meet with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to debate strengthening relations, together with bilateral ties and commerce and funding between Canada and Pakistan. Minister Anand’s go to marks a major milestone in Canada-Pakistan relations – the primary go to of a Canadian international minister to Pakistan in virtually 20 years.

On July 22, Minister Anand will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post Ministerial Conference Plus Canada in Manila, Philippines. This assembly brings collectively the 11 ASEAN member states and Canada to debate progress made via the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and can sit up for commemorating the 50^th anniversary of relations in 2027.

On July 23, Minister Anand will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum the place she is going to focus on urgent regional and international safety challenges along with her counterparts, together with the disaster in Myanmar, tensions within the East and South China Seas, North Korea’s illicit weapons packages, Russia’s unlawful and unjustifiable conflict in Ukraine and the evolving scenario within the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz. The Minister will discover methods to boost collaboration with ASEAN to deal with accelerating maritime, hybrid and cyber threats, together with rip-off centres and cyber threats to essential infrastructure.

While in Manila, Minister Anand may even meet with a number of counterparts to strengthen bilateral and commerce relations. This go to demonstrates Canada’s dedication to proceed strengthening ties with these within the area, consistent with the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).