U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses reporters
IN PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses reporters with South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (not pictured) about the 2+2 Ministerial meetings, at the State Department in Washington October 24, 2014. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, is going to visit Canada on Tuesday. He will apparently express solidarity with Canadians after an attack on its Parliament that had killed a couple of soldiers.

First, it was Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent who was run over by a car in Quebec. Then it was Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was killed while standing guard at the National War Memorial by a gunman. Canada has termed both the attacks as acts of terrorism, The Globe and Mail reported. Kerry is expected to meet Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird as well as Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 4 pm on Tuesday. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Kerry's visit is a symbolic one to show the U.S. support for the Canadians who are mourning the loss of their soldiers.

Baird said in his statement that Canada had been partners, friends and allies with the United States both in good times and in hard times. He said that Kerry, as well as U.S. President Barack Obama, was among the first people to extend support to Canada after the Parliament tragedy. "I am grateful that Secretary Kerry will visit Ottawa and stand by Canadians as we mourn the loss of Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and as we move forward in pursuit of our shared values," Baird said. According to State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, Kerry is going to express "America's solidarity with the Canadian people," which will apparently the alliance and friendship between the countries even stronger.

The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister also said that Kerry would discuss about some other bilateral and international issues. He said that the two countries would continue to help each other on several issues including the support for Ukraine and the fight against the Islamic State. The Star quoted Baird saying that Kerry would also discuss ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship between the countries. There will be discussions on issues like legitimate travel and trade between Canada and the U.S.A, he said. Baird said that domestic security and North American energy security would also be discussed.

It was stated that the details of Kerry's visit would only be made public on Tuesday.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au