America is seeking to regain its seat in the Human Rights Council
Biden and Trudeau affirm the "extraordinary friendship" of turning the page on Trump
Biden and Trudeau during a virtual meeting.
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Blinken pledges that Washington will continue to criticize violations in countries such as China, Myanmar, Russia and Venezuela.
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US President Joe Biden promised yesterday to "redouble efforts" with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to combat climate change, during their first bilateral meeting held via video link, with the aim of showing the priority given to close allies, after the ups and downs in the president's era. Former Donald Trump, while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced yesterday that the United States will seek elections within the United Nations Human Rights Council to restore its membership in the Council.
In detail, Biden said at the outset of the hypothetical meeting with Trudeau: "The United States does not have a friend that is closer and more important than Canada," adding: "That is why I was the person with whom I had my first bilateral meeting as president." For his part, Trudeau praised the "exceptional friendship" between the two neighboring countries. .
So far, the US President has refrained from traveling abroad or receiving his counterparts at the White House due to the "Covid-19" epidemic.
This prevents the president - who is betting on his ability to restore good personal relationships, as well as the friendships that he forged while he was vice president under Barack Obama, between 2009 and 2017 - from benefiting from direct communication to prove that "America is back."
This foreign policy marks a break with the slogan "America first" adopted by his predecessor, Donald Trump, in favor of the unilateral approach, and it was evident, the day before yesterday, during talks with Trudeau, which are supposed to be followed by other meetings with Washington's allies.
Biden and Trudeau discussed current urgent issues such as combating climate change and the pandemic, as well as reviving the economy in North America.
"We have doubled efforts to combat climate change," the US President said, announcing a "high-level" forum for coordinating policies between the two neighboring countries, so that their economies would reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
For his part, Trudeau said in direct criticism of the former president who withdrew the United States from the climate agreement, "Thanks again for your very active participation in combating climate change," adding: "We have missed the American leadership a lot in recent years."
He added that the Americans no longer delete "all references to climate change" from the joint statements, "on the contrary, they add to them, and this is wonderful."
Trudeau seemed to want, at least in public, to turn the page on the topic of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, and did not mention it in his speeches.
The pause of the project - which Donald Trump has resumed and which environmental groups have denounced - was one of Joe Biden's first decisions in January, much to the disappointment of Ottawa, which supported him.
Biden and Trudeau also discussed competing with China, as the US President said that he wanted "coordination" with Canada "to address threats to our interests and values."
Biden said: "As leaders of two great democracies, we must demonstrate that democracy can still meet the expectations of our citizens, at a time when many leaders around the world are trying to assure that authoritarian regimes work better."
He promised to "work together for the return" of two Canadians detained in China, Michael Coffrig and Michael Spavor, a support that Trudeau thanked him so much.
The new US president brought relief to the Canadian prime minister, who was having difficult relations with Trump.
On the other hand, Anthony Blinken, an observer, participated in an online session of the council, which is based in Geneva.
The United States left the Council under the Trump administration.
Blinken said, "The United States places democracy and human rights at the core of its foreign policy, because they are necessary to achieve peace and stability. We humbly request the support of all member states of the United Nations, in an attempt to return to a seat in this body."
The foreign minister admitted that his country is facing its own challenges with regard to democracy and rights.
"In the United States, black people face the repercussions of systemic racism and economic injustice every day," Blinken said.
But he added that unlike authoritarian regimes, the United States deals openly with such problems.
He pledged that Washington would continue to criticize violations in countries such as China, Myanmar, Russia and Venezuela.
He made clear that President Joe Biden's administration likewise felt the concerns about the Human Rights Council that the Trump administration had voiced when it left the council.
Blinken said the council should stop excluding Israel, and its members should not include "those with the worst human rights records."
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