Canada, Portugal seeking closer ties

OTTAWA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa here on Thursday to discuss the benefits of progressive trade and ways to boost bilateral relations.

In the joint statement released after their meeting, the two leaders committed to further deepen the Canada-Portugal relationship through a new arrangement on youth mobility.

This new collaboration, the Canadian Prime Minister's Office said, which provides greater opportunities for engagement and exchange, will help Canadian and Portuguese young people gain international experience, as well as a better understanding of each other's cultures, languages, and societies.

The two leaders announced that the two countries will sign a modernized agreement on social security, and a memorandum of understanding on aeronautical search and rescue operations.

They also discussed how the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is helping create good, middle class jobs and new opportunities for people of both countries.

They also explored shared approaches to some of the most pressing global issues, and the importance of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including on promoting gender equality, protecting the world's oceans, addressing climate change, and building economies that work for everyone, according to the statement.

They underlined the two countries' common commitment to NATO and to peacekeeping, including the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Thursday's meeting is the first formal meeting between Trudeau and Costa, who arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day visit. Canada is home to a vibrant community of over 480,000 Canadians of Portuguese origin.

The trade volume between Canada and Portugal stood at nearly 848 million Canadian dollars (about 659 million U.S. dollars) in 2017, with Canadian exports valued at 270 million Canadian dollars, according to the joint statement.

On Sept. 21, 2017, the provisional application of CETA took effect. CETA provides new opportunities for Canadian and Portuguese businesses, and will enhance trade and investment in both countries. Portugal ratified CETA at the national level on Dec. 21, 2017. Enditem