By Canadian Press

Foreign affairs minister ‘very keen’ to quickly wrap up NAFTA negotiations

Aug 4, 2018 | 2:11 PM

HONG KONG — Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister says she’s “very keen” to wrap up NAFTA renegotiations after sitting out the last round of talks between the U.S. and Mexico.

Chrystia Freeland told reporters on a conference call from Hong Kong that she’s eager to conclude the talks, which she says are “back on an intensive track” following last month’s Mexican election.

She says negotiations fizzled out ahead of the presidential vote, but that the three parties had agreed to pick talks back up after the results were decided.

However, Canada wasn’t part of Friday’s talks between U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo in Washington, D.C.

Freeland says that’s because her counterparts were discussing issues of more importance to their two countries, and says she’s been in close contact with both over the past week.

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She says she’s ready to get back to the bargaining table after spending several days in Singapore for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

“I think it’s a good thing for all three countries that the negotiations are back on an intensive track,” she said.

The Canadian Press