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08:30 GMT
WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of Defense James Mattis late Tuesday met with Canadian Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers' Meeting Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada.
The two discussed security and stability issues of the Korean Peninsula, including the threat posed by North Korea and "the importance of maintaining military support to the global diplomatic and economic pressure on Pyongyang," Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White said in a statement.
Their discussion also included commitment to working with Allies and partners on other mutual security concerns such as defeating the so-called Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere and support for the Ukrainian people, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
"The Secretary and the Minister also reaffirmed their support to the North American Aerospace Defense Commands readiness to face current and future threats as NORAD enters its 60th year of Canadian-US operations in 2018," White said.
Earlier, Mattis called the current tensions with North Korea "sobering," but said he would continue to press for a diplomatic solution to denuclearize the nation.
"The situation we face, I would call it sobering," Mattis told reporters. (end)
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