Addition: Russia and Belarus Lose Most-Favored-Nation Status + Rocket Launchers and Grenades Supplied to Ukraine

Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Minister of Finance
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Canada announced on the 3rd (local time) that it will revoke the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) status of Russia and Belarus, according to major foreign media reports on the same day.

The Most-Favored-Nation status is one of the fundamental principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which applies the same trade standards to all WTO member countries and prohibits granting preferential benefits such as lower tariffs to specific countries.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Finance, held a press conference on the day and said, "Simply put, Russia and Belarus will no longer receive benefits such as the lower tariffs that Canada provides to other WTO members," adding, "Products imported from Russia and Belarus will be subject to a 35% tariff."

According to the Canada Border Services Agency, Canada's imports from Russia amounted to 1.2 billion Canadian dollars in 2020, while imports from Belarus totaled 23 million dollars.

Canada has actively imposed sanctions against Russia, including requesting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate war crime allegations against Russian forces.

Minister Freeland said, "The Group of Seven (G7) has already imposed the strongest sanctions in history on Russia, and more sanctions will follow."

The Canadian government also added 10 senior officials from Russian state-owned energy companies Rosneft and Gazprom to the sanctions list.

At the same press conference, Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, announced plans to provide Ukraine with 4,500 M72 rocket launchers and 7,500 grenades.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that he will push for Russia's expulsion from the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO, Interpol). Prime Minister Trudeau said, "International law enforcement cooperation is based on a collective commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," and added, "Canada and its allies urge the suspension of Russia's membership in Interpol."

The Canadian government also expressed willingness to accept Ukrainian refugees, stating that Ukrainian refugees may stay temporarily or permanently in Canada. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said, "Canada is ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees," and added, "There will be no limit on the number of applications."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.