Canada’s Defense Minister, Bill Blair, announced that he approved sending a Canadian warship to the port of Havana, coinciding with the arrival of the Russian navy this week.
Blair explained,
The Harry DeWolf HMCS Margaret Brooke ship arrived at Havana Port on Friday, June 14 and returned to Canadian waters on Monday, June 17.
According to the minister, “the port visit was carefully planned at Canada’s request and was announced in advance by the military”.
Unlike Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Blair said he was aware of the presence of Russian warships in Havana when he authorized the navy to send the HMCS Margaret Brooke to Cuban waters.
Minster Joly declared she was unaware of the reasons for the warship’s visit in an interview with a Canadian media outlet.
Responding to the question about why Canada would have a ship in a Cuban port at the same time Russian military ships were there, she said she was not aware of the situation. “This is something I need to look into much more closely. This information is new to me because the Defense Minister also works with CAF and DND on this topic; of course, we will look into it and respond accordingly,” she stated.
However, the Defense Minister reaffirmed that “the Canadian ship visited Havana to demonstrate Canada’s presence, naval capability, and commitment to open and secure waters in the Americas”. “This was a military mission. I was asked for authorization to do this, and I granted it,” Blair affirmed.
The convergence of Canadian, Russian, and United States ships in Cuba, just 160 kilometers from Florida, has evoked memories of the Cold War and highlights current tensions between Russia and Western countries due to the war in Ukraine.
Read the full article in English on cibercuba.com, using Google Translate.
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