(MENAFN) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Canada this week for his first official visit, as the neighbors seek to deepen collaboration on regional and international concerns such as the Haiti situation.

The Canadian and US governments announced on Wednesday that Blinken will meet with his colleague, Melanie Joly, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his Thursday and Friday visit to Ottawa and Montreal.

“This visit will strengthen our vital partnership with Canada to address shared goals, including providing continued support for Ukraine, addressing the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, deepening our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions, and advancing cooperation on migration and refugee resettlement in the Americas and across the world,” the US Department of State asserted in an announcement.

Blinken and Joly will address "the crisis in Haiti, the situation in Iran, the Arctic, the Indo-Pacific area, and sustained partnership on holding Russia accountable for its unlawful invasion of Ukraine," according to the Canadian government.

Blinken's visit comes as the United States and Mexico seek worldwide backing for a United Nations Security Council proposal to send foreign armed forces to Haiti to restore security and allow the passage of "critically needed" humanitarian supplies.

MENAFN28102022000045011137ID1105094512