CANADA, October 18 - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to congratulate Ulf Kristersson on his election as Prime Minister of Sweden:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Ulf Kristersson on becoming the new Prime Minister of Sweden. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Kristersson to continue building the relationship between our two countries based on a long history of cooperation, strong people-to-people ties, and common priorities such as safeguarding democracy and the rules-based international order, and promoting human rights. As Arctic countries, we have shared interests and work closely together to promote circumpolar cooperation. We also enjoy commercial ties through the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which is creating new opportunities and good middle-class jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We will continue to work closely with like-minded countries such as Sweden to combat authoritarianism and promote peace and security in Europe, particularly in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine. As a close partner and important ally, Canada strongly supports Sweden’s decision to pursue membership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and we will remain steadfast in our support through the accession process, including against threats to Sweden’s security.

“I thank former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson for her partnership and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”