Macron and Carney Pledge Closer Ties at Atlantic Island Meeting

The Canadian Press

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The leaders of France and Canada pledged on Sunday to strengthen bilateral ties in response to rising geopolitical tensions, climate change and what they described as the erosion of democratic values.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the commitment after meeting in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, the French territory off Canada’s Atlantic coast.

The two leaders' visit to the territory, the first by a French president since 2014 and the first by a Canadian prime minister, followed just weeks after US President Donald Trump posted an image showing the islands, as well as all of Canada and other countries in North America, covered by the US flag.

Ottawa has been seeking closer ties with the European Union amid an increasingly acrimonious trade war with the United States.

"Our societies are being ⁠shaken by new storms: the upheavals, caused by climate change, the erosion of democratic norms, and new threats to our sovereignty," Carney said in a statement alongside Macron. "The time has come to strengthen our ties."

Macron added that the two allies agreed to forge closer ties in sectors ranging from space and climate to energy.

"We both believe in democracy, the rule of law, respect for international law, respect for free and fair trade, science as the basis for our decisions, and the strategic autonomy that we defend," he said.

Macron, whose government is facing increased pressure at home over rising fuel prices, said the talks had opened the door for bilateral discussions aimed at sealing concrete deals. Paris hopes Canada will broaden its exports of liquefied natural ⁠gas to Europe rather than primarily to Asia.

"Canadian liquefied natural gas projects can help. They are important for Europe," Macron said.

The two leaders also discussed Canada's relationship with the EU after the bloc opened the door to Ottawa becoming its first associate member, something Macron ⁠said France supported.

Source: Reuters



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