A gathering of foreign ministers in Vancouver today to discuss the perils posed by North Korea is expected to focus on sanctions, non-proliferation and diplomacy.
Eric Walsh, Canada鈥檚 ambassador to Korea, says ministers will aim to identify which sanctions are being evaded and how to improve enforcement, while also discussing possible diplomatic solutions.
He says non-proliferation is also a key topic, and participants will look at recent developments in North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program and what they mean for the region and the international community.
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The federal government has faced criticism for not inviting Russia and China to the summit, which instead brings together ministers from countries that supported the United Nations force in the Korean War.
Walsh says the conference is not meant to replace other discussions that are taking place, including at the UN Security Council, and instead it is meant to complement those talks.
He says there鈥檚 鈥渘o question鈥� that China and Russia have critical roles to play in North Korea and the summit, co-hosted by Canada and the U.S., was not intended to exclude them.
鈥淲e very much hope we鈥檒l be able to dialogue with them at a later date about what we鈥檙e able to do here and find ways to stay engaged with them,鈥� he said.
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Walsh made the comments at a panel discussion convened by the University of British Columbia on Monday, ahead of the conference that begins today.
Brian Gold, a University of Alberta history professor, said the summit is less about North Korea, to some degree, and more about Canada and South Korea as middle powers promoting a multilateral approach.
He said multilateralism was the intent of the United Nations alliance during the Korean War.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great success in just that it鈥檚 happening,鈥� he said of the conference.
鈥淏ut true, yes, a greater success if it provides a rationale for an ongoing existence (of the alliance) and helps with some of these problems which have been identified.鈥�
However, political science Prof. Brian Job of the University of British Columbia said the meeting puts Canada in a 鈥渄elicate tension.鈥�
鈥淥n the one hand, we鈥檙e onside with concerns over North Korea鈥檚 nuclear weapons, we back the sanction regime, we support Secretary of State (Rex) Tillerson鈥檚 鈥� diplomatic approach in Washington,鈥� Job said.
鈥淏ut on the other hand 鈥� our interests in being seen as a middle power in this circumstance is not advanced by being seen as an instrument of U.S. agenda, advocating a one-note, hard line extreme pressure strategy, and I think particularly in convening meetings in which key players are not involved.鈥�
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau conceded Monday that both China and Russia will be integral to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, even as he defended the decision to leave the two countries out of the gathering.
Trudeau made the remarks after Russia became the latest to slam the meeting as a threat to peace efforts.
China, meanwhile, has already derided as 鈥淐old War thinking鈥� the involvement of only those allies that supported South Korea during the Korean War.
鈥� With files from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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