Resumption of diplomatic relations between Canada and Saudi Arabia after 5 years of disconnection.
According to Reuters, Canada and Saudi Arabia have now decided to resume diplomatic relations after a dispute that erupted in 2018.
Diplomatic disputes between Canada and Saudi Arabia began in 2018 when the Canadian embassy in Riyadh demanded the immediate release of women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, and this request led to verbal tension between the two countries.
Canada announced Wednesday that it has agreed to fully restore diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and appoint new ambassadors to end the fallout from a 2018 dispute that has damaged relations and trade between the two countries.
It has been said that this action took place after talks between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok last November.
“Canada’s punitive trade measures against Saudi Arabia will be lifted,” said a government source familiar with the deal, who was not authorized to discuss full details.
The differences between Canada and Saudi Arabia started in 2018 a few months before the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These disputes started when the Canadian embassy in Riyadh demanded the immediate release of women’s rights activists who were detained by Saudi Arabia. This prompted Riyadh to recall its ambassador from Ottawa, prevent its return to Canada, and ban new trade with Canada. Before that, Canada had started punitive trade measures against Saudi Arabia.
According to this report, the decision of the Canadian and Saudi authorities to restore diplomatic relations was influenced by the desire of both sides to restore relations between the two countries based on mutual respect and common interests.
The normalization of Canada-Saudi relations comes as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to maintain his kingdom as a regional player by capitalizing on its position as an energy giant in the oil-dependent world. . A world whose dependence on fossil energy and oil became more evident than before after the recent war in Ukraine.
An informed government source in Canada said in this regard: “We have seen in recent years that Saudi Arabia is an important global player. “Saudi Arabia helped evacuate Canadians (in Sudan) and they are also playing an important role in finding a solution to the conflict there.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has also said: “We need to talk to people with whom we don’t always agree on everything in order to find global solutions to global problems.” According to reports, “Jean-Philippe Linto” is going to be appointed as the new ambassador of Canada in Riyadh.
